KARACHI, Dec 7: People of Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Wednesday expressed their surprise over the sudden meter checking in their locality, and apprehended that the meters would be made faster and their bills would increase in future.

Residents of the KDA Overseas Bungalows in Block 16-A said that a KESC truck entered their guarded locality and started checking meters affixed on outer wall of their houses. The people, who introduced themselves as KESC officials, asked a number of consumers in the locality to produce power bill of the previous month and detached different wires from their meters.

Complaining that the detached wires had not been re-fixed properly, the consumers feared that they could be held accountable for the same in the next meter checking drive and might be issued exorbitant bills on the charge of ‘tampering with the meter’.

They said that the power utility had affixed meters on outer walls of all the houses in the locality some two years back. The KESC had established two sub-stations through which the electricity was being provided to the locality and meters were installed there to check leakages. They maintained that consumers in the locality had been paying power bills regularly and no leakage was reported. Despite the fact, the surprise checking was carried out, they said, and described it as beyond comprehension.

One of the consumers said: “We are expecting a favourable change in the KESC after its privatization, but the things appear to be same as they were in the past.”

The concerned residents asked the KESC management to take notice of the situation and take necessary steps to allay their fears.