The revised consumer service manual unveiled by the power regulator Nepra introduces additional charges and stringent measures for electricity consumers, including a 14 per cent interest rate on bill instalments and an ‘urgent fee’ for priority connections. The proposed regulations — set to be discussed at a public hearing on Dec 19 before implementation — have been announced despite a surplus in capacity and declining consumption. The new consumer manual also seeks restrictions and penalties on multiple connections at one premises and higher penalties on detection bills that are issued by power distribution companies (Discos) for suspicious consumption like a slow meter, a defective meter, theft, etc. Under the proposed amendments, consumers seeking priority connections will now face an ‘urgent fee’ of Rs15,000 for single-phase and Rs30,000 for three-phase meters.
