By SIB
February 4, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Mr Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Federal Minister for Power Division has extended a special preferential treatment towards Members of the Punjab Assembly issuing the orders to the relevant authorities that Punjab MPs be treated as ‘priority consumers’ when they lodge their complaints on electricity issue with complaint redressal system.
Punjab MPs would be given the facility by the complaint redressal system and when they lodge their complaints, they will be given a place in the priority queue without any delay.
However, critics say that treatment being extended to Punjab MPs should have also been extended to MPs of the remaining three provinces as Mr Leghari being the federal minister is supposed to take care of the electricity consumers of the whole country. His priorities should not be confined to Punjab only as it will help create sentiments of hatred based on provincialism among the masses of the three federating units—KPK, Balochistan and Sindh.
The critics also say that 0.6% of whole electricity consumers has managed to install net metering on their rooftops. Lower middle call, the poor segment of the society and those who are living in rented houses are on grid electricity. Most of the Punjab MPs may have gone to the net metering system. So the poor segments of the society and lower middle class are currently using the grid electricity. They all should be treated as priority consumers when it comes to a complaints’ redressal system as the existing rotten grid electricity system is functional only because of them.
However, the letter written on January 24, 2025, by Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari to Punjab MPs, also available with the Exclusivewaves.com.pk says: “It is my pleasure to present you (Punjab MPs) a new automated electricity complaints redressal system launched under my Ministry’s initiatives where electricity consumers are more user friendly registered and resolved with strict monitoring within NEPRA defined timeline. You are added to the system as priority consumers where your complaint will be received in the priority queue without delay. You are not required to contact DISCO officials for redressal of your companies as their complaints will be received by DISCOS within NEPRA timelines.” Ends
