LAHORE, Nov 14: Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Lahore High Court on Friday directed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to reconsider increase in power tariff for industrial units and hand down a fresh decision after hearing the stakeholders.

The judge also restrained the authority from recovering charges according to the new tariff. He had been hearing dozens of petitions by industrial and textile units, besides the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), against increase in power tariff.

Syed Ali Zafar of APTMA had earlier argued that the power distribution companies increased tariff without any valid determination, bringing the business to a halt.

The other petitioners said Nepra determined the tariff on Feb 23, 2007, and made the industrial consumers pay substantially higher rate of electricity.

However, just after 13 days, the electric distribution companies filed a review petition before Nepra for another rise. The petitioners said Nepra didn’t have the review powers under the law, but it went on without giving any notice to them. ‘cruel joke’: Labour Party Pakistan’s Women Wing Secretary Nazli Javed has said the so-called adjustment in power tariff (cutting the increase to 13 per cent) is a cruel joke with the consumers.

Criticising the government announcement on power tariff cut in a statement issued here on Friday, she said the Pakistan People’s Party had come into power on the promises of providing relief to ordinary people but it had betrayed them.

She said the government should withdraw the entire 40 per cent increase in power tariff instead of announcing partial withdrawal.