ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch an investigation into officials and officers of power distribution companies implicated in overcharging consumers for electricity units on their bills.
Chairing a meeting on Power Sector and Solarisation reforms, the Prime Minister directed the concerned department to immediately suspend those officials.
PM Shehbaz stated that the ‘anti-public’ officers and officials, who are inflating electricity bills by adding extra units, should be punished.
He said that elements involved in charging excess units in the bills of protected consumers using below 200 units per month should be exposed before the nation.
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz also ordered accelerating the steps to generate electricity from renewable sources, stating that the country can no longer afford to generate electricity from imported fuel.
He said that power generation from low-cost renewable sources will provide relief to consumers in their bills.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Power Division to immediately shut down the inefficient state-owned power generation plants that produce expensive electricity using imported fuel.
He said the entire world is generating electricity from renewable energy, and Pakistan has immense potential to generate electricity from solar energy. He stressed the need to take priority steps to fully leverage the potential of solar energy.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister decided to abolish five federal ministries and requested a plan from the relevant ministries within a week.
The ministries likely to be abolished include Information Technology, Kashmir Affairs, Science and Technology, Industry and Production, and Health Services, according to sources familiar with the development.
They added that the relevant ministries began working on providing recommendations, as directed by PM Shehbaz, to abolish them.
According to the media report, the decision to abolish the ministries aligns with the demands made by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who had been advocating for the abolition of specific federal ministries.
