Pakistan bans manual billing for violations — The Express Tribune

Pakistan’s energy ministry has instructed electricity distribution companies to issue bills for detected electricity consumption violations only through a centralized online portal. Manual and discretionary processing of such bills by field staff or SDOs has been banned, The Express Tribune reports.

Federal Energy Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari announced the decision at a meeting with the boards of directors of electricity distribution companies in Islamabad. He said that consumers would no longer be issued incorrect or arbitrarily determined bills.

Online processing and oversight

All such bills must be processed through the centralized portal developed by PITC. Issuing manual bills will be considered a serious disciplinary violation that may result in departmental proceedings and strict sanctions against responsible officials and employees.

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The minister stressed that combating electricity theft remains a priority, but unjustified financial burdens on consumers will not be permitted. Companies’ boards of directors and customer service committees will monthly review the accuracy, transparency and legality of collecting such charges.

Changes concerning meters

The energy ministry must also submit proposed amendments to the Consumer Service Manual in the coming days. They provide for the replacement of faulty or burnt meters immediately or within a maximum of two billing cycles. Average billing for this period is proposed to be limited to two months.

If it is established that a meter was operating slower or faster than normal, charges or credits are proposed to be limited to the two preceding billing cycles. The billing period for illegal electricity consumption for consumers in the general category is proposed to be set at three cycles, with a maximum period of six months for registered consumers and 12 months for unregistered consumers.