Dismal state of KESC

KESC has been unable to upgrade its rotting distribution system, has done little to curtail the theft of electricity.

A study conducted by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute for the ministry of water and power confirms what everyone already knew: the KESC has failed miserably in its job to provide a constant supply of electricity to Karachi’s citizens, despite receiving heavy subsidies from the federal government. Among other problems, the KESC has been unable to upgrade its rotting distribution system and has done little to curtail the theft of electricity. The important thing to note here is that, while the utility management ultimately has to be held responsible for the state of their company, there are plenty of other actors who deserve a share of the blame.

To start with, the city government in Karachi wanted a steady supply of electricity at all times but they just weren’t too keen on paying for it. For the KESC to shut off the lights at the offices of those who wield political power was impossible. Had they done so, they would have had to face protests from the possibly armed workers of powerful political parties. That is a cost of doing business in Karachi and, unfortunately, was one that the company’s management did not factor into their business model when they took over the company. The KESC is also overstaffed. Yet, when they tried to reduce the size of the workforce, they had to deal with the workers who went on strike, bringing the city to its knees.

Clearly, the current situation is unsustainable and a change needs to be made. But the danger is that the government may just decide to renationalise the utility company. That needs to be avoided at all costs. The KESC will simply be a drain on an already depleted exchequer. However, there are other things that the government can do to help out the company. For one, it could provide political power to the KESC management so that it is not alone as it takes on entrenched interests in the city. Doing that would be much more effective than simply flinging money at the problem and would require political courage, a commodity sadly lacking in our country.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2011.