The National Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has initiated an action over the issue of overbilling in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) region.

The authority has sought billing data from all divisions of the LESCO till February 27, according to the NEPRA.

A NEPRA inquiry report had said that distribution companies (DISCOs) were charging excessive bills and detection bills to consumers by adopting illegal and unlawful practices.

“It is alarmingly noted that thousands of consumers were charged for more than 40 days billing. This was the major cause of overbilling during the months of July, 2023 & August, 2023,” NEPRA’s December 4, 2023 report stated.

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The additional director of NEPRA said that action will be taken against XENs in light of the report.

Those officials involved in the overbilling will be removed from the field while an action will be taken against them, he added.

He vowed to not allow overbilling the consumers, saying that the chief executive of LESCO had issued warnings earlier regarding the overbilling issue.

According to him, Shahpur, Raiwind, Kot Lakhpat, and Kasur remain the top cities where consumers faced the issue of overbilling.

The NEPRA inquiry report alleged that the distribution companies were deliberately using such tactics to charge electricity bills on an average basis, which may lead to loss either to consumers or to the national exchequer.

A significant number of bills were found to have multiple discrepancies, according to the NEPRA.