Parts of Gulshan avoid load shedding by paying bills, others just steal

KESC says it is happy with blocks 16, 10 and 13D.

KARACHI:

There are buildings, houses, shops, and even tattered shanties in parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal where the electricity supply never wavers, while the rest of the city faces incessant power cuts. Block 18, between PIA Planetarium and Baitul Mukaram Mosque, is one such privileged locality.

According to a resident, Imran Sherwani, the last major power outage happened seven months back. “In my opinion, we have been exempted from the power cuts because we pay our bills, even if the amount seems excessive,” he said.

Just a couple of blocks away, near Nipa Chowrangi, people are not as lucky. Daily power outages are a part of routine. But the fluctuation between areas is deliberately caused by the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC). “If people don’t steal electricity, then there will be no reason to complain,” said a regional manager. “Power is not being cut in areas where electricity theft is less than 10%.”

KESC has prioritised its customers on a loyalty scale, said officials. Gulshan is second to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), when it comes to exemption from KESC’s load shedding. “Our good customers live in blocks 16, 10 and 13-D,” said the official.

This strategy has been enforced by KESC’s management to control power theft which is rampant across Karachi. CEO Tabish Gohar announced earlier that a list of localities was being prepared so that good customers would be rewarded.

While some regular payers are happy with this arrangement, others are suffering due to their power grids. “In some cases, our job becomes difficult,” said the official. Half a dozen slums, located along the stretch of Lyari River that runs in Gulshan, are hooked to illegal connections, causing power cuts for even those who pay the bills.

“Block 11 of Gulshan has a high percentage of residents who pay the bills, but Madoo Goth is located right behind it, where almost everyone steals electricity,” he said. “Since both locations are connected to the same power grid, everyone suffers when the load is managed.”

KESC officials say curbing theft, which results in billions of rupees in losses every year, has been a difficult task. Interference of political parties has made the job even harder.

In the Karson Complex, located on Main Rashid Minhas Road, the KESC staff has been threatened and stopped from cutting stolen connections. “A permanent cut is impossible. People will burn tyres and block the road. There is nothing we can do.”

KESC said around 40% of its 2.1 million customers pay their bills on time and do not steal. However, these numbers include industrial customers as well. “We have identified our regular payers all over the city,” said a spokesperson, Aminur Rehman. “Locations with high power theft have been marked as high-loss zones, but are reviewed every three months in case there is an improvement.”

People have to realise that paying bills is in their own interest, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2011.