On top of the huge amount that I had to pay, I was forced to pay extra due to an error on K-E’s part
KARACHI: A place like Dubai, which is virtually a desert, has addressed the issues emanating from high temperatures, but we seem utterly unable to do the same. The emirate is one of the regional hubs of the Abraaj Group, which has investments in K-Electric (K-E). Despite investing in the utility company, it does not seem to have invested in the right tools and technology over the period of time in operation. K-E’s fault ratio seems to have gone up; there is mismanagement to such an extent that it has three different interfaces to capture complaints but these are not integrated.
In addition, the root cause analysis of any small or large-scale fault has not improved. Within the past four to five months, there have already been three pole-mounted transformer (PMT) replacements in my area. The quality of service delivery has deteriorated with there being negligence and lack of skill. I had never before experienced that while resolving one fault, another issue arose because the K-E maintenance workers ‘forgot’ to connect the neutral cable. All we received for the extreme inconvenience suffered was a statement stating “sorry, we forgot to connect the neutral cable”. This has happened twice.
Besides these issues is the issue of being charged extra in electricity bills. I have been charged extra, with my fault apparently being that I actually pay my bills within the due date. On top of the huge amount that I had to pay, I was forced to pay extra due to an error on K-E’s part. I am still fighting the case to get my money refunded. K-E seems to believe in committing blunders and then expect consumers to run after it with complaints and claims.
The biggest piece of incompetence is that with such huge investments, the system and infrastructure do not complement the efforts of K-E; most efforts seem to be cosmetic. The deeper one studies this aspect, one sees how money has been squandered on different highly priced projects, which later failed to deliver. The utility company also continues to penalise those who pay their bills regularly just because their neighbours are defaulters. I wish we had strong consumer protection laws in Karachi and could take K-E to court. While K-E is running Operation Burq to apprehend defaulters, I wish consumers could run Operation K-E to hold it accountable for poor service and at times, no service at all. K-E claims that in areas where electricity theft is more rampant, the rate of electrical faults is higher and hence, these areas are subjected to more power outages. As far as I know, in DHA, there are no major problems of electricity theft; then where is K-E’s load management for this area? It is clear that the reasons K-E gives for prolonged power cuts aren’t always the right ones. The utility company needs to accept its shortcomings and address the matters at hand.
Rabia Azfar
Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2015.
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