EXTRA UNITS: I have detected an anomaly in the monthly bill sent to my place by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). The bill I received in February showed a usage of 94 units. However, when I calculated the difference between the current and previous readings, it was 92 units (5437-5345=92). I checked my six previous bills, and found that I had been charged a few extra units in all those bills. This seems to be a nom-inal amount for a consumer, but with about three million SSGC customers, the end result would be a hefty stream of illegal revenue collection every year. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) should look into the matter, and reimburse the amount in the upcoming SSGC bill.

Ashraf Ali
Karachi

ONLINE PAYMENTS: The government wants to document the economy and enlarge the tax net as this is cons- idered the only way forward. However, the question is: how can it achieve the goal? One simple solution is to eliminate cash payments for utility bills. The government should make sure that no third-party payments are allowed. Only the actual consumer should be able to pay the bill. This can be done by veri-fying the name on the utility bill with the bank account holder’s name. The tenants can submit the utility bill amount to their landlord, who would then be responsible for paying the bill.

Sohaib Arif
Rawalpindi

BETEL NUTS: A large number of people in Pakistan have a bad habit of chewing betel nuts. Studies have shown that regular chewing of betel nuts can lead to numerous diseases, like oral cancer, addiction, oral submucous fibrosis, and even mental health problems. However, if you walk through the schools, markets, and streets, you will find children and teenagers chewing betel nuts despite knowing about the harmful consequences. Even more problematic is the fact that they can easily buy betel nuts. How many more lives must be ruined before we take this matter seriously?

Shahque
Hub

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2025