ISLAMABAD: Secretary for Water and Power Zafar Mahmood told a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Thursday that electricity distribution companies (Discos) were overbilling consumers to compensate for their losses, DawnNews reported.

The PAC meeting took place under the chairmanship of Nadeem Afzal Gondal to review the objections raised by the audit of Wapda and Federal Ministry of Power and Water, during which secretary water and power while giving a briefing admitted that discos were involved in false and additional billing.

The secretary further informed the meeting that 20 sub-divisional officers (SDO)s were suspended for overbilling in Lahore and that latest technology and equipment was being used to cut down line-losses and electricity theft.

He added that line losses of Discos amounted to Rs 22 billion whereas the defeicit gap between revenue and expenses stood at Rs 280 billion.

Chairman PAC Nadeem Gondal said that he had to call President Asif Ali Zardari to end loadshedding in his constituency and President Zardari had to call General Manager ofNational Power Control Centre (NPCC)  to resolve the issue, he added that over billing was a serious issue

PAC member Noor Alam commented that most areas of the country were without electricity for twenty hours daily whereas the bills remained unchanged.

Noor Alam recommended the abolition of the disco system in favor of the Wapda system.

The PAC also sought a report from Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) over the issue of manufacturing of transformers by private companies.

Earlier some parliamentarians had also accused power utilities of indulging in wrongdoing in load management.