K-Electric wants action taken against defaulter who assaulted employees

The team was sent to disconnect the power supply but was beaten up.

KARACHI: The city's electricity utility has demanded action against a resident of DHA, who not only defaulted on his bill payments, but allegedly assaulted the utility's employees when they went to his house.

The news emerged when K-Electric sent an application to the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) chairperson on May 20, in which they stated, "As per the routine practice of K-Electric, our recovery staff was dispatched, which included power supply disconnection orders of a consumer in Phase 4, DHA, Karachi."

The consumer, Zafarullah Rind, has not paid his bills for the last five months and owes K-Electric Rs614,000, the complaint stated.

A K-electric official also confirmed that the company has sent a letter to the PQA chairperson, complaining that the PQA cargo manager, Rind, along with his sons and guard, had beaten up the K-Electric field staff.

"When our team was beaten up, they immediately informed us and we registered an FIR against the attackers at Darakhshan police station," he said. "Later, with the help of the police, the team went back to Rind's house and disconnected his electricity."

The PQA are inquiring into the allegations. The port authority's spokesperson, Ghulam Hyder Chandio, said the department will take serious action against the manager if the allegations are proved against him.

The Darkhshan police station SHO, Zawar Hussain, told The Express Tribune that an FIR No. 260/14 has been registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 337a, and 341 against the attackers.

"We have initiated an inquiry against Rind and hopefully we will solve it in the coming days" he added. Rind was unavailable for comments despite multiple attempts to contact him.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2014.