RAWALPINDI, Oct 27: Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Monday extended the due date for depositing electricity bills by three days for some industrial units that received bills according to the tariff set by National Electric Power Regularity Authority (Nepra). The increased tariff has been challenged in court.

Justice M.A. Zaffar of the LHC also directed the respondents -- Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (Iesco), Nepra, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and Ministry for Water and Power -- to submit their comments within one week in response to the petition filed by Al Qadir Textile Mills, Chakwal, and Haideri Beverages, Sihala, Islamabad.

The lawyer of the petitioners, Qamar Afzal, pressed for early hearing in the case as Monday was the last date for both companies to deposit electricity bills amounting to over Rs10 million for one month. The court extended the date so that the petitioners would not have to pay surcharge after the due date.

The petitioners have maintained that a notification issued by Nepra in September was illegal and in violation of rule laid down in the law regarding increasing or reducing power tariff.

They said the affected parties were to be contacted and consulted before making any change in the existing tariff but they were not heard and increase was made arbitrarily.

They further contended in their petition that when a change in the tariff was made in January this year by Nepra, all stakeholders were properly intimated and called upon before the final decision. They said they had also challenged the increase with the authority through a revision petition.

It may be mentioned here that identical petitions are pending adjudication with the LHC Rawalpindi bench and Islamabad High Court.

Meanwhile the same bench separately allowed a woman to go with her mother after she refused to live in the Darul Aman.

Saeeda Perveen petitioned before the court that she wanted her daughter to come with her but the administration of Darul Aman was not allowing her to do so. She said her daughter was abducted by a man from the area of Sihala police. However the police recovered her.