Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monday criticized power distribution companies for imposing collective punishment on consumers, saying the implementation of prepaid electricity meters could resolve long-standing billing and supply issues. Speaking during a session of the Sindh Assembly, Memon stated that when all users are shifted to prepaid systems, individual accountability will increase and public complaints will reduce significantly.
He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) to take immediate steps to roll out prepaid meters across the country. Memon stressed that citizens who regularly pay their bills should not be penalized due to the non-payment of others in their locality. He called on all major power distributors, including K-Electric, HESCO, and SEPCO, to adopt this change without delay.
Sharjeel Memon criticized the consistent failure of power companies to reform. “In every assembly session, resolutions are passed against these companies, but officials remain indifferent,” he said. He accused them of neglecting consumer rights and refusing to fix their systems despite repeated warnings and public pressure. This, he said, has only worsened the electricity crisis across Sindh and beyond.
In a positive development, Memon revealed that the provincial government has begun providing solar energy systems to residents in regions where temperatures have soared beyond 50°C, especially in interior Sindh. He said this was part of an emergency plan to protect vulnerable communities from power shortages and heatwaves.
Concluding his remarks, the minister gave a clear message to the distribution companies: “Bring in prepaid meters or stop collective punishment.” He emphasized the need for structural reforms, adding that citizens must not continue to suffer due to the incompetence and mismanagement of electricity providers.