ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has ordered a comprehensive crackdown on arbitrary detection billing by power distribution companies (Discos), directing them to issue such bills exclusively through the centralised online portal of the Pakistan Information Technology Company (PITC) and warning of strict disciplinary action against officials involved in manual billing.
According to an official announcement, Leghari took serious notice of excessive and allegedly incorrect detection bills imposed on electricity consumers and issued formal instructions for implementing a comprehensive reform framework during a meeting with the boards of directors of Discos.
The minister said that while preventing electricity theft remained a national priority, innocent consumers could not be subjected to arbitrary financial burdens. The proposed reforms seek to regulate the discretionary powers of field staff, protect consumers’ rights and ensure that officials acting against electricity theft can perform their duties without obstruction.
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Under the new framework, all detection billing will be processed exclusively through PITC’s central online portal. Manual and discretionary issuance of detection bills by field staff and sub-divisional officers (SDOs) has been prohibited. Manual detection billing will be treated as serious misconduct, exposing the officials concerned to strict disciplinary proceedings and major penalties.
The Power Division will also propose comprehensive amendments to the Consumer Service Manual in the coming days to establish clear timelines for meter replacement, average billing, meter accuracy adjustments and detection billing.
Under the proposed changes, defective or burnt electricity meters will have to be replaced immediately or, at the latest, within two billing cycles. The burden of average billing during the replacement period will also be restricted to two months.
Where a meter is found to be running slow or fast, recovery or credit adjustments will be strictly limited to the preceding two billing cycles.
The proposed framework also seeks to establish clear limits on the period for which detection bills can be issued. For ordinary consumers found involved in unauthorised electricity use, the detection billing period is proposed to be restricted to three billing cycles. For registered consumers, the maximum period will be limited to six months, while for unregistered consumers it will be capped at 12 months.
The reforms are intended to prevent prolonged retrospective billing and ensure that detection charges are imposed within clearly defined regulatory limits.
The boards of directors of Discos and their customer services committees have also been directed to conduct regular monthly reviews of detection bills, examining their accuracy, transparency and the legitimacy of recoveries.
The minister reiterated that the government’s objective was to make the power sector more consumer-friendly and ensure accountability at every level. He emphasised that protecting consumer rights remained a top priority and that no official would be allowed to exploit consumers financially by acting beyond the law and applicable rules.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026