The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted a stay to four companies against the recovery of fuel adjustment surcharge in electricity bills till the next hearing.
The court also sought replies from the Pakistan Electric Power Company, Wapda, the National Transmission and Despatch Company and distribution companies by September 16 on petitions filed by the Flying Cement Company and others. The petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique said that the companies in flood-hit areas had suffered losses due to stoppage of work. He said that the recovery of fuel adjustment surcharge violated various provisions of the Constitution and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority Act. He said Nepra was duty-bound to protect consumers, but it had been protecting independent power producers. The counsel prayed the court to suspend the fuel adjustment surcharge by Nepra since 2008 till the petitions were decided. Justice Ayesha A Malik granted the petitioners a stay against the recovery of fuel surcharge till the next hearing but told them to pay the bills for July 2013.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2013.