A shocking audit report from the Auditor General of Pakistan has revealed that eight major power distribution companies have overcharged people by a massive Rs244 billion in just one year. Companies named in the report include LESCO, IESCO, MEPCO, and QESCO.
According to the audit, these companies charged customers for around 900 million fake electricity units. In just one month, about Rs47.81 billion was collected from 280,000 customers through false bills. Farmers were among the worst affected, with QESCO alone accused of overcharging Rs148 billion for tube well electricity use.
The audit found that many fake charges were added through suspicious “load adjustments” and wrong billing linked to over 1,400 electricity feeders. This means that consumers were made to pay for power they never actually used.
Though there were some refunds given back to consumers, the auditors said the process was very poorly handled and did not really help those who lost so much money. The refund system was described as messy, slow, and unfair to the people who were wrongly billed.
The report has raised serious questions about how these companies are operating and how such huge amounts were collected without being noticed. Many people are now demanding strict action against those responsible for this scam and better checks to stop it from happening again.
This revelation shows the need for stronger monitoring of power companies so that ordinary people, especially farmers and small users, are not cheated through false bills and unfair practices in the future.
