PESHAWAR: Electricity Consumers have approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) through a writ petition against the recovery of Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) in electricity bills.
The petition was filed by Pir Sajad Ali Shah and other residents of Mardan through Noor Alam Khan and Shabina Noor Advocates. The writ petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution urged the court to declare the recovery of FPA “null and void”.
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The Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Managing Director (MD) Peshawar Electric Supply Company and others have been made parties. The writ petition has taken a stand that under the guise of FPA in electricity bills, hefty amount is being collected from consumers every month which is “violation of human rights”.
He argued that a consumer using electricity of Rs400 have paid Rs2500 bill which is totally unjustified and against the human rights. Several protests were held across the province against the hefty electricity bills while protesters in Lakki Marwat also burned their electricity bills during their protest. The lawyer argued that several complaints have also been lodged at PESCO offices but the officials yet to provide any satisfactory response to the consumers.
The writ petition said that people were already crushed by high inflation and now the heavy electricity bills would make it difficult for the lower class to use electricity.
The petitioners pleaded the court to declare fuel price adjustment in electricity bills “illegal”.
On December 28, a senior lawyer, Fazal Shah Mohmand, told Mashriq TV that the FPA has already been declared ‘illegal’ by the Peshawar high court in 2012. Mohmand said that despite being illegal, the the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) are ‘fleecing’ billions of rupees every month in terms of FPA in electricity bills.
Mohmand said that the no one had challenged the judgment in the Supreme Court so WAPDA, NEPRA and other officials can be punished for violating the order of the court.