ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: Member after member from the treasury benches in the National Assembly blasted Wapda on Tuesday for charging high power bills and demanded relief.

Most members accused the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) of inefficiency and its distribution companies of overbilling during an inconclusive debate on a private member’s resolution.

The resolution, moved by Kunwar Khalid Yunus (MQM) called for “complete uniformity by the government in the electricity billings throughout Pakistan”.

Though formally opposed from the government side by parliamentary secretary for establishment division Ali Asjad Malhi, the resolution was supported by a dozen other members of the ruling coalition parties before speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain deferred further debate to the next private members’ day on Tuesday.

Mr Yunus, while explaining his resolution, complained of electricity bills in Karachi being much higher than elsewhere for the same amount of consumed electricity and said the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) must recommend uniform tariffs.

Speaking of his personal experience, he said electricity worth Rs500-600 in Islamabad would cost Rs2,000 in Karachi. He also complained of defective electricity metres being used in the country’s commercial capital.

But most other speakers said overbilling was a nationwide problem that they blamed for an adverse impact on industry and agriculture besides hardships for domestic consumers.

Some of them called for building new dams to generate more hydel power.

Parliamentary secretary Malhi, opposing the resolution, said the government was already subsidizing power bills in Karachi and elsewhere in the country.

He said a Nepra decision was awaited on petitions filed by the eight distribution companies of Wapda’s power wing to determine new power tariffs.