Islamabad: The federal cabinet on Tuesday deferred the decision to raise the power tariff for K-Electric’s (KE) consumers — a news source reported. If approved, this development would also place an additional burden of PKR 73 billion on the company’s consumers for the import of gas.
The move was opposed by some members of the cabinet who stated that Karachi was facing a shortage of electricity and that the prices were being hiked under dubious circumstances. The decision to collect an additional amount of PKR 73 billion from Karachi’s consumers for imported gas was also postponed. The matter will be reviewed on Thursday again in a special meeting on the matter.
Earlier, the KE had called for increased oil or gas supply from the federal government in order to tackle the issue of power outages in the metropolis. Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar had met the KE Chief in this regard, after which he had announced that the load-shedding in the city would end by July 12 as the government would ensure an increased supply of fuel for the KE.
