There is no reason why consumers who pay their bills regularly should be penalised for the default of others.
KARACHI: I understand that for deciding load-shedding hours, the KESC has divided the city into various categories having good, moderate or poor payment of bills records, and the areas get no, minimum, moderate or maximum load-shedding accordingly. While this classification may appear reasonable to the KESC, it becomes totally unfair when a locality with an excellent payment record is lumped with another one with a very poor payment record and is then penalised accordingly. Also, since the collection of bills or disconnection of power lines in case of default is the responsibility of the KESC, there is no reason why consumers who pay their bills regularly should be penalised for the default of others, over which they have no control and for which they hold no responsibility.
To be specific, residents of sector 18 and other areas adjacent to it in KDA Scheme 33, Gulzar-e Hijree, Karachi, with various housing societies such as PCSIR, State Bank, Karachi University Employees, Gwalior, etc. hardly used to experience any load-shedding over two years ago, which meant that they were good payers. These areas started being subjected to five-hours-a-day load-shedding in three spells, with no load-shedding on Sundays, but then the hours started increasing and now the areas get about three hours load-shedding at a time, three times a day, adding up to total nine hours load-shedding a day, with no relief even on Sundays. At the same time, I understand that there are localities in Karachi, which are subjected to no load-shedding. I know that in the present circumstances, load-shedding cannot be avoided but it should be apportioned over different localities equitably instead of through the present policy of favouring some areas and strangulating others, for no fault of the residents of the areas that are worst affected.
SRH Hashmi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2013.
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