October 25, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: A special committee, constituted by the prime minister to review the recent increase in power tariff, decided on Friday that consumers across the country would pay only 60 per cent of the amount shown in bills they received this month, without paying any surcharge for late payment.

The last date for payment of bills has been extended by 10 days.

The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) will issue instructions to all distribution companies, the Karachi Electric Supply Company and banks to make arrangements for deduction of 40 per cent from the bills issued for September. The facility is for all domestic, commercial and industrial consumers.

The decision was taken after hours of hectic deliberations among members of the committee, including parliamentarians, traders, distribution companies and the ministry of water and power.

Headed by Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the committee decided that consumers should not pay full bills until it was ascertained that the 31 per cent increase approved by the Nepra was justified or otherwise by a sub-committee formed during the meeting.

The consumers, who have already paid the new bills, will get adjustment in the next bills.

The sub-committee was constituted on the directives of Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tareen to investigate the controversial tariff increase and give recommendations to the special committee for a final decision.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Hinna Rabbani Khar, who is representing Punjab, will head the sub-committee. Parliamentary Leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar is representing Sindh and Senator Ilyas Bilour NWFP.

Other members include an MNA from Balochistan, FPCCI president or his nominee, Aptma representative Shafqat Elahi and the representative of the business community from Karachi, Zubair Motiwala.

The sub-committee held its first meeting on Friday.

Earlier, traders and business community representatives informed the special committee meeting that they would not pay the “exorbitant and unjustified” bills. They complained that a major chunk of their earnings had been consumed by alternative power arrangements because of more than 11 hours of loadshedding daily.

They said the increase had been made on the pretext of high oil prices which had been declining in the international market over the past one month.

An official, who attended the meeting, told Dawn that traders and industrialists had warned that the country’s economy would badly suffer if the new tariff was implemented. They said that a number of industrial units in the NWFP and other parts of the country had already closed because of loadshedding.

According to the official, Mr Tareen admitted that the industry and commercial sectors were facing severe problems and they should be provided relief to sustain the economic growth.