KARACHI, March 11: Consumers of natural gas have complained of excessive billing and said the charges levied in the bills for January and February are much higher than their average monthly bills. In some cases as high as 10 folds.

A consumer, living in an apartment building in the vicinity of Hasan Square, said previously his bills never exceeded Rs700. But the last bill he received was Rs5,260. “I have paid it because I knew nothing will happen even if I fight for this injustice,” said the consumer, Mr Shah.

Another consumer living in a Dastagir area apartment said the last bill he received was Rs3,000. “There were such big crowds at the Civic Centre seeking correction in their bills that I only requested the Sui gas officials there that my bill be converted to instalments. I was happy that they obliged,” said Mr Memon, whose previous bills remained within Rs500 per month.

Besides, hundreds of gas consumers said that their monthly bills used to vary from Rs150 to Rs300, but the bills for January and February had increased at least two folds. The consumers also complained that they visited the gas utility’s offices in their respective towns, but no one solved the problem.Many consumers also said that that they neither use geysers nor heaters, and were at a loss to understand why the SSGC had resorted to this over billing after announcing that it had cut gas bills by 10 per cent.

Some agitated consumers said they were getting ready to move court against the SSGC. An irate consumer, who received an inflated bill for the second consecutive month running, said the people considered the SSGC a consumer-friendly utility, but it had also started fleecing people. Other consumers called the SSGC’s newly introduced consumer information system for preparation of bills a failure.

The SSGC spokesman when contacted said the consumers could pay their bills in instalments, but insisted they had to be paid at all costs. Referring to an SSGC advertisement that appeared recently in newspapers, he said due to very cold temperatures in December and January, billing for these months was higher due to high consumption levy of higher tariff due to higher consumption slabs.

An SSGC official, requesting anonymity, said the overbilling problem was common in the city and the increasing number of complaints received in zonal offices in different areas testified to this fact.

MMA: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal urged the Sui Southern Gas Company to extend the due date for gas bills for February and revert to the old billing system as the new one was creating problems for consumers.

MMA leaders Mohammad Hussain Mehnati, Laiq Khan and others said the company sent no bills for December and January, and then sent the bill for February, with the charges for the earlier two months included with surcharge.

They said it was the company’s responsibility to send bills every month, but if it had failed to do so, it should not penalise consumers.

They demanded that the joint bill for February be recovered in at least six instalments.