Four-hour loadshedding in industrial areas: KESC urged to rescind decision

The industrial sector has expressed apprehension that it would suffer huge losses if the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) moved on with its plan to carry out four-hour load shedding in industrial areas of the city. The load shedding by the KESC in industrial areas of the city would create immense problems for the industries in fulfilling their export as well as local commitments on time.
The 4-hour load shedding, the KESC has resorted to, will diminish the pace of production, causing problems to exporters in honouring their export commitments. Chairman Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Syed Johar Ali Qandhari has emphasised on the need to have a long-term policy for uninterrupted power supply to industrial areas of the city.
He said that the KESC had started carrying out 4-hour load shedding in Korangi Industrial Area from 4:00pm to 8:00pm on the pretext of cut in gas supply from Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). He said that KESC claimed gas supply to the utility had been reduced from 100 MMCFD to 40 MMCFD due to which they had resorted to load shedding in industrial areas.
Vice Chairman KATI Jawed Qureshi said that the KESC had hinted at improving power supply to industrial areas from Wednesday. He said that industries suffered production losses due to 4-hours load shedding from 4pm to 8pm on Tuesday.
In a statement, Chairman Site Association of Industry (SAI), Abdul Wahab Lakhani had strongly opposed the new schedule of load shedding from 6.00pm to 10.00pm by KESC from Tuesday. Lakhani said that power utility had resorted to 12-hour daily load shedding in industrial areas of the city from January 9 to January 13, which was stopped after protests by industrialists and timely intervention of Sindh Governor. "But now, it has again started carrying out load shedding in industrial areas of the city," he added.
He said that KESC had again committed the same mistake and did not take the stakeholders into confidence before resorting to load shedding. He urged KESC management to immediately withdraw the decision. He also urged Governor and Chief Minister Sindh and Advisor to CM Zubair Motiwala to intervene and restrain KESC management from resorting to load shedding in the industrial areas of the city.