KARACHI: Neither caretaker government nor bureaucracy is ready to take back free electricity facilities from certain classes of society. Hence, public agitation against present billing crisis is set to be further ignited due to heavy illegal taxations imposed upon consumers.

According to informed sources whenever ruling regimes in near past voiced against this free usage and attempted to get back this amenity, Army of government servants started threatening rulers so that they were compelled to surrender against this mafia and people of country were further enforced to shoulder increasing burden of these free riders.

In latest development caretaker Cabinet announced to stop provision of free electricity and pay cash to those government servants but so far there was no concrete step taken hence complete silence. In response to common news of monthly 34 thousand free units consumed by 189,000 government employees costing at least Rs 8 to 13 billion to national exchequer, sources said.

About four years back Senate had voiced that free users of electricity had consumed about 136 million additional units from their quota. In year 2020 it was disclosed that 198,222 employees of Discos and Gencos were provided about 391 million free units of electricity. Out of this number 16,591 were officers, 150,000 serving employees while 48,000 were retired employees who get fifty percent less units compared to serving employees.

Public Accounts Committee had forwarded its proposal by its Chairman Noor Alam that instead of begging in front of IMF we should instantly remove this free electric policy to employees from grade one to 22 and other big guns in departments and charge them accordingly.  This would save at least Rs 9 billion annually, he said. Similarly ex-Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir had announced to get back this free electricity policy, but he faced wrath of employees and finally shut down his mouth, sources said. According to analysts if any government ignoring such agitations by these employees enforces its order; affected class would certainly approach courts where adjudicating judges are themselves are biggest beneficiaries of thousands of free units in this regard how they could refuse those petitions.    

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 01 2023

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