Islamabad: The Power Division has announced sweeping reforms to the detection billing system, aiming to shield electricity consumers from undue hardship and unnecessary financial strain. The move forms part of a wider set of power sector reforms spearheaded by Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, focused on delivering greater consumer relief and strengthening protection of consumer rights.
Detection bills have traditionally been issued when meters malfunction, technical faults occur, or actual consumption cannot be properly recorded — with usage estimated under existing rules. However, these estimates have not always matched real consumption, leading in some cases to inflated bills and lengthy complaint resolution processes. The reliance on manual estimation also opened the door to concerns about transparency and possible irregularities, given the room for human discretion in the process.
In response, the Power Division under Minister Leghari’s direction has decided to digitize and automate the detection billing system, cutting down on manual intervention and discretionary decision-making. All distribution companies have been instructed to make the necessary amendments to NEPRA’s Consumer Service Manual and implement other supporting measures. Going forward, detection billing and related recovery activity will be reviewed monthly, allowing overbilling and unusual patterns to be flagged and corrected quickly.
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The Federal Minister said the broader goal of the power sector reforms is to make the system more convenient for consumers. He added that fixing the detection billing process will help safeguard consumer rights, bring greater transparency to billing practices, and build stronger public trust in the power system overall.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
