LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday dismissed petitions by several factories and industries seeking extension in grace period of paying electricity bills without surcharge in the wake of coronavirus lockdown.

Rehman Steel Works and others filed the petitions pleading that the government had announced facilitating the industries during the lockdown in terms of waiving surcharge on late payment of the electricity bills.

However, a counsel for the petitioners said the deadline to pay the electricity bills without surcharge passed on April 7, which also came during the lockdown. He said the government should be ordered to extend the relaxation since the industries had been facing a financial crunch due to the Covid-19 circumstances.

The lawyer argued that the industrial consumers should be given an exemption of surcharge on late payment of bills keeping in view the crisis. All distribution companies (Discos) working in Punjab had been cited as respondents in the petitions.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2020