Governments relief on electricity bills, new higher rates imposed
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The federal and provincial governments have officially ended the electricity bill relief for consumers, with new tariffs now imposed ranging from Rs. 9 to Rs. 29 per unit.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, this decision impacts consumers across Pakistan, with Punjab's provincial government also halting its temporary relief of Rs14 per unit, effective immediately.
The channel reported that starting from this month, consumers will no longer receive any financial relief in their electricity bills.
The federal government will implement the new rates for protected consumers, who had previously been granted a three-month relief by the Prime Minister.
Under the revised tariff structure, consumers using between 1 to 50 units will be charged Rs9.93 per unit, those using 51 to 100 units will pay Rs13.64 per unit, and consumption between 101 to 200 units will be billed at Rs29.21 per unit.
In Punjab, the two-month temporary relief offered to consumers using between 201 and 500 units, at Rs14 per unit, has also been terminated.
The October billing cycle will reflect these new rates, significantly increasing electricity costs for consumers across the region.
Pertinent to mention here that last month on September 11, the relief package provided by the Chief Minister of Punjab for domestic electricity consumers in Islamabad was terminated due to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The subsidy, which provided Rs14 per unit relief for domestic electricity consumers using between 201 to 500 units, was abolished.
The Chief Minister had initially extended this subsidy to Islamabad’s consumers as well, given that Punjab's electricity distribution company, ISCO, also serves the area.
It is worth mentioning that after slashing electricity prices for the people of Punjab by Rs14 per unit for two months (August and September), the Punjab cabinet also approved a similar relief for the consumers of Islamabad on August 24, 2024.
Reporter: Shahid Sipra