Pinning responsibility: NGO takes KESC to court over protest violence

Notices issued to state, provinces, KESC and city govt.

KARACHI:

An NGO, the United Human Rights Commission, has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the Karachi Electric Supply Company related to the death of six people on June 3 during a protest strike.

The petitioner maintains that the utility is conducting unannounced load-shedding, which has now reached 12 to 16 hours in different areas.

The NGO alleges that due to KESC’s failure in providing electricity to residents of the city, all political parties call a strike on June 3 in protest. Six people were killed in the violence during the protest for which KESC is solely responsible and the government was required to take action but it remains unmoved, the petitioner submitted. KESC was bought for Rs16 billion, while now it owes Rs100 billion in loans.

The petitioner prayed the court to look into the privatisation of the power utility and ask for the details of all of the company’s assets at the time of privatisation.

The SHC bench of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi after preliminary hearing ordered the issuance of pre-admission notices to the federal and provincial governments, the KESC, the city government and others.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.