The Power Division has decided to reform Pakistan’s detection billing system to protect electricity consumers from inflated bills, unnecessary difficulties and additional financial burdens.
The reforms are part of the broader changes being introduced in the power sector under Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari. The government says the measures are intended to provide greater relief to consumers and strengthen the protection of their rights.
Detection bills have traditionally been issued when electricity meters malfunction, develop technical faults or fail to accurately record actual consumption. In such cases, electricity usage is estimated according to the relevant rules.
However, estimated consumption has sometimes differed from actual electricity use, resulting in excessive bills and lengthy complaint procedures for consumers. The existing system also allows considerable human involvement, raising concerns about transparency and possible irregularities.
To address these problems, the Power Division has decided to digitise and automate the detection billing process. The objective is to reduce human intervention and limit discretionary powers in the billing system.
All electricity distribution companies have been directed to propose the necessary amendments to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s Consumer Service Manual and take other measures required to implement the new system.
Under the proposed mechanism, detection bills and their recovery will be monitored every month. This is intended to identify cases of overbilling and unusual billing patterns at an early stage so that corrective measures can be taken without unnecessary delay.
Awais Leghari said the central objective of the government’s ongoing power sector reforms was to provide maximum convenience and relief to electricity consumers.
He said reforming the detection billing system would help protect consumer rights, improve transparency in electricity billing and strengthen public confidence in the power sector.
The Power Division said greater digitisation and automation would also reduce opportunities for human interference and help ensure that detection billing rules are applied more consistently across the system.
