TO put is simply, people are sick and tired of paying exorbitant, excessive and inflated K-Electric (KE) bills every month — month after month — which include a long list of illogical ‘miscellaneous charges’ and taxes. I got shocked to see my resi-

dence’s bill amounting to Rs29,250 for the month of July, whereas I had not been using air-conditioner for the last couple of months. Every month, the bill amount exceeds Rs25,000 despite making every humanly possible effort to control electricity consumption. The extremely excessive amounts of power bills are far beyond my capacity to pay, especially due to the sort of high inflation that has made it difficult for me to make ends meet.

The role of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), as the regulator, is nothing but that of a silent spectator. It seems as if the regulatory body is subordinate to KE, as Nepra takes no action against the utility service despite its pathetic performance in power generation, distribution and billing. Considering this Nepra apathy, I have no qualms in saying that its existence is a huge burden on the national exchequer, as it is a good-for-nothing entity as far as electricity consumers are concerned.

The federal government and the ministry concerned should look into this matter of immense concern, and hammer out a comprehensive, flawless strategy to give some relief to KE consumers. The KE must be ordered to ensure theft is stopped and action is taken against those involved in power theft or in the facilitation of such acts. Only this will give the hapless some relief.

Hasan Afzaal
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2026