KMC city council session: Resolution to nationalise K-E unanimously passed

JI brings issue of power utility to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's council session

KARACHI: A resolution asking the government to nationalise the K-Electric (K-E) immediately, submitted by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), was unanimously passed at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's city council session on Tuesday.

The issue of K-E, against which the JI fought for on the roads of Karachi, was brought to the council session. The resolution was submitted by JI's Junaid Mukati. He claimed the assets of the K-E before the privatisation were Rs50 billion and it was sold at around the same amount, out of which the K-E only paid Rs17 billion.

The price of K-E's poles in the city, he said, is Rs70 billion and as much is the cost of their wires. He pointed out that the government is giving subsidy of Rs650 megawatt to the K-E but still the utility company is charging Rs1,822 per unit from the residents of Karachi.



He explained that the demand of the port city is not more than 2,000 megawatt and the K-E's capacity of production is 3,000 megawatt. Still, the utility company halts power supply, Mukati said.

Despite charging Rs1,500 for the electric meter, he said, the K-E charges metre rent monthly, which is sheer injustice to the people of Karachi. "The K-E is a mafia with which all political parties are linked," he said, adding that KE was supposed to pay the people of Karachi Rs17 billion but got a stay order on that.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Syed Khalil Imam agreed with Mukati but raised objection on the statistics that were shared by him. Imam asked Mukati that why they are politicising the issue of K-E, which is old, at this particular time and asked them about their agenda.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf's Firdous Shamim Naqvi said they are not against the privatisation of any institute but are against theft. Naqvi said if Mukati's allegations are true, the Security Exchange of Pakistan and judiciary should take action. He also demanded the formation of a sub-committee to look into the matter of the K-E and grill their management over discrepancies. "A resolution won't do anything," he added.

Another resolution was regarding the auction of 36 KMC's parking sites for four months, which was tabled by the MQM. To this resolution, a member from opposition bench asked why and how the contract of all the 36 sites was awarded to a single person without taking the council into confidence. The MQM's council leader, Aslam Afridi, said that there were seven applicants for the contract, out of which one won and all this happened before the media.