Syed Ali Shah :
QUETTA: Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Thursday declared ‘other’ charges in gas bills as null and void after its order about slow meter charges. Mr. Justice Abdullah Baloch passed this order on an application filed by a senior lawyer, Syed Nazeer Agha Advocate.
“The court asked the masses not to deposit other charges in gas bills”, Mr. Agha said while quoting the remarks of the judge. A division bench of the BHC comprising Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Mr. Justice Abdul Hameed Baloch had declared slow meter charges null and void.
Despite the court’s order, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has replaced slow meter charges with other charges in gas bills. This prompted senior lawyer, Syed Nazeer Agha Advocate to file a petition and ask the company in this regard.
SSGC continues to collect Rs.16bs under the garb of slow meter charges from Balochistan at per annum
The company has also sent other charges bills to the judge as well, Mr. Agha informed. He revealed that the company has collected over Rs. 16 billion from masses under the garb of slow meter charges and other charges per annum.
“Company has to pay back the consumers”, the petitioner demanded. He said SSGC consumers in Sindh and other parts of the country were getting reasonable bills but the situation was quite different in Balochistan when it comes to high bills.
Ensure transparency in sending bills to the consumers: BHC
The judge also asked the SSGC to ensure transparency in sending bills to the consumers in Balochistan. The court has directed the General Manager (GM) SSGC to appear before the court on February 17th and explain the company’s position about other charges recovery from the consumers.
SSGC officials claimed that around 80 percent of meters have tampered in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. The company argues that including slow meter charges was necessary to overcome the deficit in the province.
