KARACHI: As government is highlighting its achievements made during the last five years, the cost of living has almost doubled instead of showing any decline.

While the consumers saw a 100 to 200 per cent hike in food items prices during the last five years, they witnessed a massive hike in utility bills charges, and in the prices of other essential goods as well as school fee and books.

A random survey of prices between March 2008 and March 2013 revealed that the average increase in gas price for residential users consuming (up to 100 cubic meters) rose to Rs106 mmbtu from Rs82.1.

The gas tariff for residential users consuming above 500 cubic meters, however, declined to Rs530.7 per mmbtu from 688.4 in March 2008. Power tariff for residential users (consuming kwh exceeding 300-700 units) went up to Rs12.3 from Rs6.5 per kwh.

However, analyst at the Top Line Security, Nauman Khan, said these are base gas and power tariffs, but consumers are getting inflated bills, including changes in tariff and fuel adjustment charges.

He said Pakistan has the fourth largest middle class of Asia where consumption of gas and power has definitely risen due to expansion in family members.

Consumers working in private and public sector offices said that that gas and power rate looked below 100 per cent rise in the last five years but they are actually paying more than double the utility bills now as compared to 2008 due to hike in various charges and taxes in the bill.

Mohammad Rehan, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar who lives in a single storey bungalow of 240 yards said that he had been paying average gas bill of over Rs700-1,000 per month as compared to Rs300-500 five years back, while he gets on average his power bill of Rs6,000-7,000 without using an air conditioner as compared to his monthly bill of Rs2,000-2,500 in 2008.

Naved Ahmed, who lives in a two bedroom apartment, said that he gets a gas bill of Rs300-350 as compared to Rs80-100 five years back.

The school fee has also doubled in the last five years.

A teacher at a private school in North Nazimabad said that the monthly school fee is now tagged at Rs4,000 as compared to Rs2,000.

Private schools, she said, usually increase monthly fee by Rs500 every year.

Schools charging Rs3,000-4000 per month in March 2008 are now demanding Rs7,000-8,000.

Those schools charging Rs500-600 per month are now charging over Rs1,000 or Rs1,500 in many schools.

Some private schools fee hovers between Rs10,000 and 12,000, showing a 100 per cent hike during the last five years.

Chairman, Pakistan Publishers and Book Sellers Association, Aziz Khalid, said that education expenses have multiplied due to 150 to 200 per cent hike in cost of books being published by private publishers as there had been a surge in prices owing to rising power rates, printing and ink cost, rising prices of imported and local paper and impact of devaluation on imported paper.

He said that increase in the cost of text-books might be more than 150 per cent due to quality of paper. However, a rim of an average offset paper of 68 grams is now priced at Rs1,300 as compared to Rs658 in 2008.

He said that the imported paper has become costlier by 200 per cent due to losing value of rupee which is now close to Rs100 as compared to Rs62 in 2008.

As new academic year would start from April, publishers are facing paper shortage.

“We are considering printing school books in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China where paper is cheaper than Pakistan and its quality is also better,” he said, adding that after printing of books we would be able to import books duty-free.

The only relief appeared to be in PTCL rate. For example, the line rent was Rs174 per month in March 2008 which is now 199.

Call charges from 8.00am to 9pm peak hours were Rs2 per two minutes while in off peak hours, the tariff was Rs2 per four minutes in 2008. Nationwide call rate was Rs2 per minute. Now local and nationwide call rate is Rs1.10 per minute.

A PTCL official said that from land-line to mobile phones, charges have not changed and are at Rs2.50 per minute.

The official said options for category-wise consumers have risen in the last five year through new connection (freedom package).