THE National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) recently approved a hefty raise per unit for the period from June to September that had been requested by K-Electric (KE) against fuel adjustment charges. This is seriously frustrating.

The government does not take notice of such monthly hikes in electricity charges that have been making lives miserable for the middle class and the poor segments of the country. It is quite strange that despite a decrease in crude oil prices internationally, KE has been allowed to either increase the electricity prices or to make retrospective adjustments almost every month.

Also, the parity between the dollar and the rupee has remained stable for almost a year, and no depreciation of latter has been observed against the former during this time. That being the case, one can only wonder why electricity charges are being jacked up without any justification. Other than the salaried class, the inflated bills have hurt the businesses seriously, rendering many of them unviable.

Mumraiz Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2024