KE’s ‘negligence’ claims life, increases difficulties for bereaved family

KE charges Rs440,783 from a rickshaw driver who died due to electrocution

KARACHI: In another case of alleged over-billing, K-Electric (KE) charged a rickshaw driver, Ameer Hussain, a resident of Malir Jaffar Tayyar Society, with an inflated bill of Rs440,783.

Hussain, alias Fawad, 30, had died due to electrocution last week.

Holding KE responsible for his death, the residents of the area informed that a high tension wire had fallen down beside a shop's shutter and Hussain died after he touched the shutter which was in contact with the wire.

A complaint was registered about the incident, but no action was taken to investigate the matter. However, KE representative, while expressing grief over the unfortunate incident, claimed that neither did any high tension wire break and fall in the area nor did KE receive any complain regarding the incident.

He claimed that KE has no infrastructure in Malik Jaffar Tayar Society and instead, the electricity in the area is transmitted through illegal connections, adding that the electricity bill dispatched to Hussain's residence includes arrears of the past six years, since 2013.

According to the residents of the area, KE's staff had taken immediate measures to repair the broken wire following Hussain's death but it could do little to compensate the loss suffered by his widow and four children.

They said that the deceased's family is now facing another challenge in the face of KE's negligence because of which KE has dispatched a bill amounting to more than Rs440,000 to a residence that only covers an area of 55 square yards.

Hussain's widow has appealed that an investigation be initiated to probe into the matter and those found responsible for the negligence be penalised.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2019.