ISLAMABAD: Power distribution companies allegedly overbilled consumers by Rs47 billion to conceal electricity theft, inefficiencies and line losses, audit officials told a PAC subcommittee.
Lesco Accounts for Majority of Overbilling
The Public Accounts Committee subcommittee examined overbilling linked to incorrect meter readings during its meeting on Thursday.
Audit officials said Lahore Electric Supply Company accounted for Rs45 billion of the total amount. Meanwhile, Peshawar Electric Supply Company overbilled consumers by Rs1.56 billion.
The Power Division secretary said 278,649 consumers received inflated bills worth Rs47 billion in one month. He added that authorities were installing smart meters and transformer-based systems.
However, audit officials blamed lower-level meter-reading staff for the malpractice. They said employees deliberately inflated bills for paying consumers to hide theft and line losses.
Consumers Face Heavy Financial Burden
PAC members also noted that power companies overbilled 904 million electricity units in one month. Senator Afnanullah warned that detected cases might represent only part of the problem.
Meanwhile, Lesco’s chief executive claimed overbilling had fallen to zero in its service area. He also said Rangers’ support had helped reduce electricity theft.
The company dismissed one executive engineer and seven sub-divisional officers. However, committee member Saleem Mandviwalla questioned why smart meters had taken decades to introduce.
The subcommittee also reviewed a Rs1.06 billion embezzlement case involving ghost and retired employees in Hesco’s service area. The audit report alleged collusion among senior officials.
