Court orders: K-Electric to explain why it has failed to supply electricity to Water Board

KWSB says power utility must supply uninterrupted power since it cleared dues.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the K-Electric management to explain why it has failed to restore electricity supply to the offices of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) despite payment of the outstanding dues.

Headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, the bench has called for replies by July 15. The water utility had gone to court, submitting that a strategic agreement between the Government of Pakistan and K-Electric says there are two types of electricity connections.

Under the agreement, the power utility cannot disconnect, under any circumstances, the electricity supply to the meters falling under the ambit of the strategic agreement, claimed the KWSB lawyer, Advocate Abrar Hasan.



However, the supply may be disconnected to those meters not covered by the strategic agreement, if the outstanding dues are not cleared.

He said that the K-Electric had issued bills against four meters installed at the KWSB offices located at Ninth Miles Karsaz. The dues were cleared on March 10 but the power utility has yet to restore electricity supply, he added.

The lawyer said that K-Electric was even informed through a letter on March 17 that the petitioners had cleared all the outstanding dues against the four meters, therefore, power supply should be restored to its offices but to no avail. Hasan said a legal notice was issued to the power utility's management but they only sent a vague reply.

He maintained that the petitioner is entitled to receive uninterrupted supply of electricity after paying the outstanding dues and after giving an undertaking that the Water Board would continue to pay the electricity bills in the future. He pleaded the court direct K-Electric restore power supply to its offices.

After hearing the initial arguments, the bench issued notices to the K-Electric management and another person for July 15 to file their comments, explaining why the supply was not restored to the petitioner despite payment of the outstanding dues.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2014.