KARACHI: The country’s business and industrial community has voiced strong concern over inflated gas bills issued for the current month, alleging that the bills were calculated using peak-hour charges instead of the applicable off-peak rates. The move has sparked outrage among industrial consumers already facing severe economic pressures.
According to industrial representatives, if gas consumption had been assessed at off-peak rates, the cost per unit would stand around Rs238. However, the bills reportedly reflect rates nearly double or even two and a half times higher, resulting from what they term as the misapplication of peak-hour tariffs.
In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwalla and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Jawed Bilwani described the inflated charges as unaffordable and warned that, if not rectified, the situation could lead to industrial shutdowns, job losses, and a serious blow to Pakistan’s export competitiveness.
The KCCI rejected claims that the excessive billing resulted from IMF directives, stressing that while IMF programmes may encourage fiscal discipline, they do not call for such “indiscriminate application of peak-hour rates.” The chamber emphasized that the current billing practice contradicts the government’s stated policy of industrial facilitation and violates the principles of cost-reflective and fair pricing.
Urging immediate intervention, the KCCI requested the prime minister to order a review of all gas bills issued to industrial consumers this month and ensure correction of the erroneous charges. The chamber also proposed a uniform 24-hour industrial tariff, arguing that it would simplify billing, restore fairness, and bolster investor and exporter confidence.
