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| August 7, 2003 | Thursday | Jumadi-us-Sani 8, 1424 |
Iesco consumers receive inflated bills
RAWALPINDI, Aug 6: The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) has been adding to the miseries of its customers for several months as a number of domestic and commercial consumers received inflated electricity bills.
These bills carry reading of hundreds of additional units owing to which the people had to pay extra money to the company.
“I paid for about 150 additional units that have not yet been consumed,” said Abdul Basit, a resident of Tipu Road.
“When I approached the sub-divisional officer at the Civil Lines Iesco office for compensation as I paid in advance for the units not consumed, the SDO refused any compensation,” he said.
Cost of the first 100 units of electricity consumed domestically is Rs2.613 per unit, for the next 200 units it is Rs3.523 per unit and above 200 units Rs5.875 is charged for every unit consumed.
Iesco adjusts only extra units in next bill but not the money charged at higher rates. “One might pay Rs587 for the additional 100 units but the compensation next month might save him Rs261 only,” Mohammad Ali, a businessman said.
“It is absolutely an illegal practice on part of Iesco to collect money against a consumption that has not been really made,” Ali maintained.
When contacted, the SDO Civil Lines, Azmat Ali, told this correspondent that nothing could be done after payment of such bill. “Iesco can only adjust the extra units in the next bill but no compensation would be possible against the amount of money a subscriber has paid in extra.”
He said a subscriber should apply for the correction of an erroneous bill before depositing it.
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