The ministry of energy has extended payment date of electricity bills to April 7 without late payment surcharge.
According to a notification, a copy of which is available with the Business Recorder, all distribution companies (DISCOs) are directed to disseminate the decision among their consumers. The circular has been issued in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
It may be noted that LESCO was already extending payment date up to 30th March for those consumers who had been approaching it for an extension in the last date.
Both the domestic and industrial consumers were critical of LESCO for not extending the payment date. A large number of consumers had no way out but to assemble outside banks for payment of their bills after a lockdown was announced on March 24.
They were of the view that the government was announcing lockdown on the one hand and forcing the people to come out of homes to pay utility bills on the other.
Similarly, the industrial consumers were up in their arms, urging the government to facilitate them with the installment of bills. Rather, some of them were asking for a moratorium due to the current economic emergency in the country.
Meanwhile, the consumers have also criticized the revenue-based policy of the ministry, saying the government was paying capacity charges to the non-operational power plants.
They said the government should immediately withdraw the policy of carrying out load-shedding in areas where consumers are not paying bills. They said the government should direct all the furnace oil-based power plants to start operations.