SHC directs banks to collect Industries bill without ISPA arrears charged by KE
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KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC), while issuing stay order in a dispute regarding K-Electric (KE) who is charging Industrial Support Package Adjustment (ISPA) arrears from Industrial Consumers in the bill for April 2020, Tuesday directed the banks to collect bills without ISPA arrears charged by KE.
In an order received from the SITE Association on WhatApp, the SHC said, “since numerous petitions (as titled above) have been filed by different petitioners, which required detailed deliberations, therefore, as an interim measures, the petitioners are directed to furnish bank guarantee(s)/ post-dated cheque(s) ready for payment with regard to the retrospective amount of off-peak hours, component within a period of ten (10) days’ time with the Nazir of this Court and the current electricity bills be paid by the petitioners within due date as per bill issued to the petitioners minus ISPA component, and to facilitate the same, all the banks are directed to accept the electricity bills without ISOA charges.” “Till next date of hearing, subject to payment of bank guarantee (s)/post –dated cheque (s) of the ISPA component and payment of electricity charges by the petitioners, their electricity connection shall not be disconnected.
Local industrialists has filed different petition in Sindh High Court challenging the collection of ISPA charges by the K-Electric. Last date for payment for the current K-Electric bills is 30th April 2020.
K-Electric is charging ISPA amount for the period July 2019 to December 2019. Industries have sold their products based on then applicable rates of electricity and collection of this amount is unjustified as this is past and closed transaction.
It is worth to be noted that at this crucial time, industries are unable to pay their labors, factories are closed and many units are afraid of bankruptcy which will result in huge unemployment because of coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan.
Suleman Chawla demanded that Ministry of Energy must intervene and rescue the industries of Karachi and direct K-Electric to issue revised bills minus ISPA charges and extend due dates to give industrial community breathing space.
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