KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has reserved its judgment on a petition challenging the supply of electricity at exorbitant rates to commercial shops located within the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) premises.
During the hearing, the petitioners—led by Khadim Hussain and others—contended that they are being charged significantly higher rates compared to the standard tariffs set by K-Electric (KE). The counsel for the shopkeepers informed the court that the billing is unjust; for instance, if a power bill amounts to Rs. 9,000, an additional Rs. 4,000 is being tacked on as “service charges.” The petitioners requested the court to order electricity supply strictly as per the official KE tariff.
Representing the Steel Mills, the counsel argued that the mill has been non-functional since 2015 and claimed that the petitioners are actually defaulters. PSM stated they have already requested K-Electric to provide direct connections to these individual consumers. Meanwhile, the KE legal team clarified that the power utility provides electricity to Pakistan Steel Mills in bulk, and the subsequent distribution or determination of internal rates is a matter handled solely by the PSM management.
The court questioned the justification for the additional “service charges,” specifically asking on what basis they were being collected and whether any separate infrastructure or dedicated lines were being maintained to warrant such fees. After hearing the arguments from all parties involved, the court concluded the proceedings and reserved its verdict.
