ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: The Water and Power Development Authority has, without any prior notice, increased the domestic consumer tariff by 56 paisa per unit with effect from current month against the 27 paisa increase allowed by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.

The unapproved but discreetly-implemented tariff is over 100 per cent higher than the 27 paisa per unit tariff increase allowed by Nepra, current month’s bills available with Dawn suggest.

The bills sent by Wapda for the month of August and issued in September suggest electricity rates for first 100 units at Rs2.388 per unit against Rs2.332 per unit in the previous bill.

The tariff for the next 200 units (up to 300 units) was Rs3.242 last month which has been increased to Rs3.298 per unit this month. Similarly, Wapda has charged up to 700 units at Rs6.24 per unit against Rs5.594 per unit last month.

When asked, an spokesman for the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) referred this scribe to Chief Commercial Manager Zareef Gul. However, Mr Gul could not be contacted either at his office or residential telephone number.

A senior Nepra official, however, said the increase could be challenged by any consumer and the utility would have to return the unjustified amount to the consumers.

Interestingly, Wapda’s own tariff notification obtained by Dawn contains only 27 paisa per unit increase in domestic electricity tariff. An official at the IESCO’s consumer centre told Dawn that normally people did not notice rates given in the bills and seldom refer to the Wapda notification.

The Nepra had increased domestic tariff by 47 paisa per unit on July 18 but after a hue and cry from the general public President Musharraf directed Nepra to make a cut of 20 paisa per unit to reduce the raise from 47 paisa to 27 paisa per unit.

This 20 paisa per unit reduction was estimated to affect Wapda revenue by slightly over Rs4 billion which now seems to contributing positively to the tune of around Rs6 billion, said a Nepra expert in a background discussion.

On August 7, Nepra increased the power tariff for commercial, industrial and bulk consumers by an additional 10 to 20 paisa per unit in a readjustment of figures to shift the burden from domestic consumers.

Neither the first Nepra determination of July 18 nor the revised determination of Aug 7 and the government notification to that effect were provided to the media despite repeated requests.

The regulatory authority has disallowed media people from talking to any of its member or officials for the last three months despite the fact that under the Nepra Act, 1997, it is required to make public all its decisions and provide copies to the press.