ACCORDING to a press report, the federal government has increased power tariff for Pepco's distribution companies by six paisa per unit for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers effective Feb 25. Although the prime minister's adviser on finance had announced earlier that power tariff would be raised in April.

This means that there will be further increase in April. Consumers are helpless as the government has monopoly on distribution of power. Although Nepra is supposed to protect the consumers' rights , it is inflective. It is periodically vocal in the media but has never been able to reject the petition of utilities provider against any of the unjustified price increases. The consumers have not been organised to boycott or reduce the use of gas or electricity whose prices are raised by the government.

In countries where consumers are organised, any unfair increase in the rates of utilities is resisted through cut in the use of the utilities until the rates come down. In our country consumers have nowhere to go to get justice. Every utility company is at liberty to loot the consumers without fear of being taken to tasks.

Consumers are openly cheated day in and day out. The consumer rights organisations are not supported by the government so that they can create awareness about consumer's power.

The consumer's movement can only succeed if the government is involved in protecting their rights. In our country the elite ruling class, which does not belong to the middle and the poor class, gives a damn to their hardship.

ENGR. S. T. HUSSAIN
Islamabad