The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has exposed the “controversial power theft drive” of the power distribution companies (Discos), defrauding millions of consumers of billions of rupees through excessive billing by engaging in malpractices.
In an inquiry report released on Monday, the power regulator regretted that the distribution companies were intentionally engaging in such malpractices to conceal their inefficiencies, causing thousands of consumers to suffer from higher electricity bills.
These companies issued electricity bills with invalid snapshots and manipulated billing cycles of over 30 days to deprive protected consumers of subsidies.
The power regulator’s inquiry report showed domestic consumers were excessively charged during July and August 2023.
It was notably found that over 5.7 million consumers in Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) were billed for more than a 30-day billing cycle in July 2023, followed by around 1.2 million in Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) in August 2023.
Similarly, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) billed over 800,000 consumers in August 2023, Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) around 700,000 in both months, and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) more than 500,000 users in July 2023.
This resulted in a slab change from lower to higher, alteration of status from protected to unprotected, and lifeline to non-lifeline for thousands of consumers.
The report expressed grave concern that in July and August 2023, thousands of consumers received bills with invalid snapshots.
Significant contributors included Mepco, Lesco, Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco), and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco).
According to the notified tariff terms and conditions, a billing period should be 30 days or less from the last meter reading date. However, the billing cycles of various Discos ranged from over 30 days to 40 days or more, leading to overbilling.