Amid concerns about public outrage due to inflated bills, officials from the Lahore Electric Supply Company resorted to dropping consumers’ bills outside their homes and businesses in Pattoki on Monday.
Residents of Hussain Khan Wala Chak No 8 were witnessed retrieving their scattered bills from the streets. Among those present were women who also participated in collecting their invoices.
The local community expressed their dissent against the substantial electricity price hikes by symbolically burning their bills and refusing payment. They highlighted that the cost per unit had surged from the previous Rs. 17 to a staggering Rs. 75, driven by the imposition of multiple taxes.
Their collective demand was for the interim government to supply electricity at the previous year’s rates.
Across the nation, widespread protests ignited in response to the shockingly elevated amounts displayed on monthly electricity bills after the government enforced a surge in electricity prices. Amid these demonstrations, a considerable number of citizens advocated for withholding tax payments.
Trade associations and political factions declared their intentions to organize nationwide protests targeting both the government and electricity distribution entities.
Citizens, fueled by anger, took to the streets in cities including Karachi, Rawalpindi, Jahanian, Jhelum, and Lahore. In a few instances, employees of power companies faced physical altercations when attempting to uninstall meters from consumers’ properties.
Amidst this turmoil, the Peshawar Electric Supply Cooperation (PESCO) issued a directive on Sunday for its staff to remove green number plates from their vehicles as a precautionary measure against potential aggression from irate protestors.
In an internal communication, utility personnel were instructed to minimize the use of non-essential vehicles and to seek police protection for seven sub-divisions within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The decision was prompted by the populace’s widespread demonstrations against their inflated electricity bills. PESCO, in correspondence with the Peshawar police, cautioned about possible instances of property damage due to the ongoing protests.
