K-E removes 500 illegal connections in parts of Lyari

Power utility was recovering only 30% bills from the areas

KARACHI: More than 500 hooked-connections, locally called kundas, were removed in the Tannery Road and Ahmed Shah Bukhari areaa of Lyari during an anti-power theft drive by K-Electric (K-E).

During the operation, the power utility penalised those who were stealing electricity and removed more than 300 kilogrammes of cables that were being used for power theft.

Eighteen PMTs installed in those areas generate electric bills worth more than Rs700 million, however, ratio of payments received by the power utility against the bills is less than 30%.



K-E also conducted raids against power theft in other areas of Lyari in the recent past. The areas included Rangiwara, Chakiwara and Slaughterhouse. After these raids, several camps were set up by the power utility to enable residents of those areas to pay their outstanding bills.

K-E has regularly been conducting operations against power theft. To ensure efficiency in the system of power supply, it has taken numerous measures since 2009 after which the transmission and distribution losses in Karachi have been reduced by 14%.

"Power theft is the main cause of faults in the system that disrupt the regular supply of electricity to the consumers. K-Electric expresses its gratitude to the law-abiding citizens in the society who are cooperating with the power utility in its efforts to curb the menace of power theft," said a K-E representative.



Residents of many areas of Karachi are, however, dissatisfied with the power utility due to increased power cuts during Ramazan. Load-shedding is being carried out in those areas as well which were declared exempt from it due to 100% recovery of power bills.