The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) receives 50 per cent of its electricity from the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) free of charge and yet it continues to collect full charges from consumers, said an expert.
Prof Akhtar Hussain Nadyme of the NED University of Engineering and Technology gave these details to the Sindh High Court on Tuesday. He was appointed by the high court’s division bench, which was hearing a number of petitions against KESC’s performance, privatisation, load-shedding, etc.
In his report, Nadyme said that the KESC is also passing the entire losses to consumers under the “fuel charges” category. The utility is running its Bin Qasim Power Plant on gas but it is charging at the rate of fuel, he said. He believed that other units of the KESC can also run on gas and that can bring an end to unannounced load-shedding.
The Law Foundation, a petitioner, questioned the privatisation of the KESC and asked the government to take over the company. The petitioner argued that the utility has failed to supply power to Karachi, which is a violation of the undertaking it took at the time of the privatisation.
The bench adjourned the proceedings till June 8 and extended the stay against tariff raise.
KESC petition against its workers
Meanwhile, another bench of the high court, comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa, reserved judgment in a petition filed by the CEO of KESC, who asked the court to intervene and save the company from the illegal activities of its workers, who are part of the union.
The management has complained that these workers are damaging the company’s assets, causing harassment and threatening the officers.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2011.
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