Power theft?: K-Electric charges charity hospital Rs17m for alleged theft

The press release said KE, after calculating incurred loss, had given an “irregular bill” for Rs17 million to hospital

KARACHI:

Godhra Muslim Medical Centre is one of the few charity hospitals in New Karachi, providing low-cost healthcare to the area’s poor patients. Recently, the hospital entered the limelight - not for its humanitarian activities, but for its alleged involvement in the theft of Rs17 million worth of electricity.

The hospital is run through a trust that conducts elections every two years, Godhra Sheikh Muslim Anjuman president and hospital administrator Muhammad Yousuf told The Express Tribune, adding that it was impossible for the hospital to be involved in this sort of theft.



“K Electric (KE) conducts unannounced loadshedding for an average of 15 hours daily,” he said. Pointing towards two generators, Yousuf added, “We carry out our operations through these because we cannot rely on the KE supply.”

On the other hand, a KE press release claimed that their team had detected electricity theft worth Rs17 million in a site inspection at the hospital. KE also alleged that a three-phase underground cable, which was illegally connected to an overhead cable through a sewerage pipe, was confiscated in a raid. The hospital further had two electricity metres installed within its premises, through which theft was occurring, causing massive losses to KE. The press release added that KE, after calculating this incurred loss, had given an “irregular bill” for Rs17 million to the hospital management.

“We did not disconnect the hospital’s electricity because we do not want the patients to suffer,” claimed the KE spokesperson, insisting that they had strong proof of the theft. “Instead, we have lodged an FIR against Yousuf at the KE police station.”

The spokesperson also claimed that the hospital administrator had admitted that were was more underground cable present onsite and that KE would soon conduct another operation there.

However, Yousuf and the hospital’s doctors refuted KE’s allegations, saying that they knew nothing about any underground cables.

“KE’s area officials have themselves offered to install illegal wiring for us again and again, but we refused every time. We pay our bills regularly,” said Yousuf, showing The Express Tribune a copy of the hospital’s paid electricity bill for last month. He added that KE should find other ways to generate revenue rather than harassing charity hospitals.

Meanwhile, Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that he had already told KE that they could not cut electricity to residential apartments or public welfare organisations, including Godhra Muslim Medical Centre, without the permission of the area’s elected representatives. This decision was made to avoid any untoward incidents in the areas where KE plans to conduct recovery drives.

“I am not sure under what circumstances KE sent the hospital a bill for Rs17 million,” he said. “However, since the inquiry has already begun, we will resolve the matter with the consensus of all the stakeholders.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2014.