Electric Inspector
Definition. The Electric Inspector is a provincial statutory officer with jurisdiction over electricity metering disputes, assessment quantum and electrical safety, and is the correct forum for challenging a detection bill or a contested meter test.
Also called: Provincial Electric Inspector · Chief Electric Inspector
Where you see it: Rarely on the bill — the route is set out in the Electricity Act and NEPRA's consumer service manual rather than on the statement.
Jurisdiction
Disputes about the accuracy of a meter, about the correctness of an assessed or detection bill, and about electrical safety installations fall to the Inspector under the Electricity Act.
The office pre-dates NEPRA and its jurisdiction was preserved rather than absorbed, which is why two parallel forums exist and why sending a case to the wrong one is so easy.
Filing
An application to the Inspector for the province, with the disputed bill, the inspection report if one was issued, your correspondence with the DISCO, and the stamped complaint you already filed at the sub-division.
Proceedings are quasi-judicial. Both sides are heard, the meter can be ordered for testing at an independent laboratory, and the decision is binding subject to appeal.
Protection while it runs
Registering a dispute is what stops the disputed amount driving a disconnection. That protection depends on the dispute being on record, which is another reason the stamped receipt matters more than the conversation.
Paying under protest is a common tactic where supply matters more than the principle. Record the protest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee to file with the Electric Inspector?
A nominal filing fee applies and varies by province. It is trivial relative to the assessments typically in dispute.
Can I go to the Inspector without complaining to the DISCO first?
You can, but it weakens the case. The Inspector will want to see what the company was asked to do and what it did, so the stamped sub-divisional application is worth the week it costs.
Related terms
- Detection bill — How Pakistani DISCOs calculate detection charges, the notice and inspection rights that come with them, and the Electric Inspector route for challenging an assessment.
- Sub-divisional office — What a sub-divisional officer can actually decide, how to make a written complaint that gets a reference number, and when to escalate to the executive engineer.
- NEPRA — What NEPRA decides, how its public hearings work, and when a consumer complaint genuinely belongs with the regulator rather than with the DISCO.
- Meter reading — How to read a Pakistani electricity meter correctly, which digits to ignore, and how to check the reading printed on your bill against the device on your wall.
Go further
Back to the full 44-term glossary, or open your own bill with the reference number lookup.