Protests against load-shedding continue

JI, PSP censure K-E's performance, apathy towards citizens' plight

KARACHI: Two political parties took to the streets on Friday to protest against the ongoing load-shedding in the city by K-Electric (K-E).

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) protested against the power utility at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), while the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) arranged a sit-in outside the K-E head office near Sunset Boulevard.

JI had earlier announced to stage a protest outside Chief Minister House, however, it changed the venue to the KPC after CM Murad Ali Shah met on Thursday JI's leadership at Idara Noor-e-Haq and requested them to change the venue, assuring them that the provincial government would take steps to resolve the issue.

Addressing the protest on Friday, JI Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said everyone was disturbed by power suspension in the city. He announced that JI would organise a protest outside CM House on Friday, April 27, instead.

Besides criticising K-E, Rehman also took a jab at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement - Pakistan and PSP. He asked who was in power in 2005 when Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) was privatised, after which it was renamed as K-E.



According to Rehman, PSP Chairperson Mustafa Kamal, who was the mayor in 2005, and then governor Ishratul Ebad played a key role in the power utility's privatisation. "Who is sitting at the K-E head office today?" the JI Karachi amir asked. The crowd replied Kamal, to which Rehman remarked that no one dared to speak against the privatisation of K-E back then and now they were all protesting.

PSP's demonstration

In the meantime, Kamal, while speaking at the protest outside the K-E head office, said it was shameful that people had to hold protests for electricity in the largest city of Pakistan.

"For 18 consecutive hours, the citizens are deprived of electricity," the PSP chairperson claimed. He added that only 1% out of the city's 21 million population could afford generators.

He went on to say that traders were planning to shut down their industries due to load-shedding, which would affect the livelihoods of 1.5 million people. He blamed K-E for causing the problem.

Criticising the CM, Kamal said all he did was write two letters to the prime minister and flashing them on TV screens.

The CM is a partner in crime, he said, adding that K-E had not improved its system and was not running its power plants on liquefied natural gas. Kamal also appealed to the chief justice to take notice of the issue.

A resolution was adopted at the protest, in which it was demanded that legal action be taken against K-E and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

The resolution also demanded an end to overbilling. Electric meters installed by K-E must be immediately changed as those are causing overbilling, the PSP chairperson said. He demanded that K-E return Rs200 billion to the people of Karachi which it earned through overbilling.

 

K-E response

K-E Chief Marketing Officer Fakhar Ahmed came out and spoke to Kamal. He told the protesters that the people of Karachi were K-E's customers and claimed that due to the shortage of gas supply, the power utility was facing a 500 megawatt shortfall.



"Our plants, which run on oil are functioning well," the K-E officer said. He explained that the power crisis in the city was due to plants that required gas, adding that the power utility could not shift to an alternative fuel all of a sudden. "For that, we need huge technical deliberation," he said.

He added that K-E was negotiating with the SSGC to come up with a solution.

Up to seven hours of announced load-shedding is taking place in different locations of the city, in addition to several hours of unannounced load-shedding.

The Karachi Water and Sewage Board is also dependent on power provided by K-E to supply water to the city, which is the reason the power crisis also results in a water crisis in the city.

Lyari, Saddar, Bizerta Lines, Kala Pul, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Landhi, North Karachi, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Gulshan-e-Iqbal are the areas worst affected by load-shedding.