High voltage: K-E claims it is not responsible for fluctuations

Residents claim home appliances were burnt due to negligence from power utility.

KARACHI: K-Electric (K-E) suspended two employees on Wednesday allegedly on claims that they were demanding Rs10,000 each from customers to install new meters in Defence Housing Authority's Phase VI area.

The power utility's spokesperson said that they had initiated an investigation to find out what was really going on and if K-E was involved. He added that they would take action in compliance with the company laws.

According to the spokesperson, if consumers' electricity meters were affected due to a technical fault by the utility, K-E will replace the meters free of charge. He added that if that was not the case, then it was not the utility's responsibility.

"The company gives electricity connections only to meters, which have been verified via the test forms provided by the electric inspector," he said. "Please refer to Section 3 (c) — Nepra Eligibility Criteria, 2003, which clarifies the role of the inspector." He added that K-E had informed consumers to get their old and in some cases obsolete wiring checked as this also caused fluctuations.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the spokesperson said that the power utility was not responsible for any of the home appliances that were burnt during fluctuations.

On Monday, home appliances worth millions of rupees were burnt due to frequent fluctuations in DHA's Phase VI area. The problem, according to residents, started last week.

The residents claimed that home appliances were burnt due to negligence from K-E. They said that a team from the utility was in the neighbourhood to fix a few things and since then fluctuations started. The spokesperson, however, denied this and said that if internal wiring systems and distribution boxes had been installed properly they would go off when the voltage was too high.

"The problem occurred inside the house," he said. "It is not our [K-Electric's] responsibility."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2015.