A number of shopkeepers in Pul-e Alam, the capital of Logar province, say that managers of some marketplaces do not calculate electricity costs based on meter readings and, according to them, are charging electricity bills several times higher than their actual consumption.
Shopkeepers in Pul-e Alam said on the second of Sunbula that their electricity bills previously amounted to around 500 Afghanis, but their costs have now risen to more than 3,000 Afghanis.
The shopkeepers complain that electricity bills are not issued based on meter readings; instead, marketplace managers determine the charges at their own discretion.
One shopkeeper at a large marketplace known as the Abbasi Market in Pul-e Alam said they had asked the management to calculate electricity bills based on meter readings. However, following their request, the market manager has reportedly closed their shops for the past two days.
One shopkeeper said: “Rents increase every year. Now that there is little work and income, they are charging us several times more for electricity, and we cannot afford it. This makes it difficult for us to continue our businesses.”
Several other shopkeepers said the electricity meters in the marketplaces are faulty and do not function properly, resulting in electricity costs being calculated at inflated rates.
According to them, when they approach marketplace owners about repairing the meters, they are told that the shopkeepers themselves must pay for the cost of installing new meters.
A number of shopkeepers in Pul-e Alam have also shared copies of their electricity bills with the media.
The shopkeepers are calling on Taliban authorities to prevent what they describe as unfair calculation of electricity bills by marketplace owners and to ensure that electricity charges are determined based on actual meter readings.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
