JI rejects KE's new power tariffs

Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday rejected the K-Electric's new tariff slab that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) announced for the city's power consumers. The JI warned that it would stage a campaign to protest the KE and NEPRA 'excesses' against the general public. It identified 50 different spots to hold demonstrations to mark its protest against the arbitrary raise in power rates.
"The JI will hold demonstrations on Saturday at 50 spots across the metropolis against the tariff," JI Karachi chapter chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, who was a party to the case during the NEPRA's hearing on K-Electric tariff issue, told the media at a press conference held at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Friday.
He said that KE's power tariff raise is unjustified as 'solid' reasons rather suggesting a further cut in the rates. He said that the NEPRA 'betrayed' some 25 million residents of Karachi by announcing a raise in the power rates. He alleged that the NEPRA concealed the facts on the tariff.
"On one hand the authority propagated the impression that tariff has been cut down whereas on the other hand it increased the tariff by Rs 1.90 per unit for those using 201 to 300 units and 90 paisa per unit for those using 1 to 100 units of electricity," he said.
He said that there are anomalies in the tariff slab. "Though NEPRA has barred KE from charging double band charges and meter rent as the company already receives the price of meter, there is no decision on the amount KE had already received illegally under the heads of bank charges and meter rent," he maintained.
The JI leader rejected the tariff, saying that his party will opt for the review over the NEPRA's decision. He alleged that the NEPRA practically always favoured the KE. "On the contrary to earlier practice, the tariff was imposed for seven years, creating a room for increase in charges earlier than it would be due," he said.