The National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy was informed on Wednesday that the government is preparing a relief package for flood-affected power consumers, expected to be announced in the coming days.
As per reports, chaired by Muhammad Idrees, the committee met to discuss the ongoing load-shedding issues in the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and the measures being considered to provide relief to flood-affected electricity users.
PPP lawmaker Syed Hussain Tariq, who traveled from Hyderabad for the session, raised strong objections regarding Hesco’s handling of load-shedding. Tariq criticized the utility for cutting power even in areas with 90% recovery, stating, “Nowhere in the world does rain cause electrocutions, but in Hyderabad, people die due to unsafe infrastructure.” He further highlighted that 152 feeders remained shut for three days during the recent outages.
Power Secretary Fakhre Alam Irfan explained that the load-shedding was based on power losses, but Tariq questioned the responsibility for the deaths of three individuals due to electrocution during the rains, and ten fatalities in 2022 from a transformer fire. Tariq emphasized, “There is no justification for four-day blackouts.”
The Power Secretary acknowledged Hesco’s annual losses had reached Rs60 billion last year, mainly due to poor recoveries and governance issues. He noted that compared to distribution companies like Multan and Lahore, which had near 100% recoveries, Hesco continued to face significant challenges. “We have instructed Discos not to penalize honest consumers with the same treatment as power thieves,” he added.
In response to the concerns, Hesco officials stated that the utility would shift load-shedding from feeder-based to transformer-based management. “Only those transformers where theft occurs will face outages,” they assured the committee.
Committee member Nausheen Iftikhar raised concerns over inflated electricity bills. “How can a daily wage worker pay a Rs30,000 bill in one go?” she asked, suggesting a solution for installment payments.
The committee also discussed the issue of relief for flood-affected power consumers. The Power Secretary confirmed that the government is in talks with the IMF and the finance ministry to finalize a special relief package. “A relief package for flood victims will be announced in a day or two,” he said, adding that the Power Division was in close coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office.
Regarding tariffs, the Secretary assured that electricity prices would not increase until June 2026, with protected consumers using up to 200 units receiving bills between Rs6,000-7,000. He also clarified that Hesco and Sepco were not being privatized but would be moved to a concession model after performance improvements. “In the first phase, three Discos will be privatized,” he noted.
Tariq continued to press Hesco management on unannounced power cuts, pointing out that Nepra and the Power Division allowed only seven to eight hours of scheduled outages. He warned that false statements before parliament could lead to privilege motions.
