Site Association of Industry (SAI) Chairman M. Nisar Shekhani has flayed the performance of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC).
He, in a statement here on Saturday, said the KESC keeps its transmission and distribution system in such a poor condition that more than 40 percent of power shutdowns occur because of breakdowns and tripping at grids.
The SAI chief said since the night of October 8, about 25 to 30 industries in Site, fed from six sub-stations are inoperative because of power shutdowns due to tripping of grid transformers. In addition to these woes, Site industries are faced with HT cables network that stands totally crippled and thereby leading to intermittent supply, he added.
The apathy and the indifferent attitude of the KESC management is deplorable in the backdrop of billions of rupees (taxpayers' money) given by the government to the KESC under a plan to improve its operation, improvement, it seems, remains an illusion for the KESC, he said.
Adding further, Nisar Shekhani said out of 59 feeders in Site area 85 percent feeders are victim to overloading and tripping as a result of which frequent breakdowns are occurring with 4-5 hours interval. This phenomenon is a double-edged sword, one, it damages latest expensive machinery employing electronic (computer) systems, and secondly, the cost of production goes up steeply for obvious reasons, he added.
With such apathetic performance record, the high-handedness of the KESC, using intimidatory and coercive methods to squeeze the consumer, through supplementary bills amounting to millions, continues unchecked and unbridled, he alleged, saying that even the exporters, who wish to install captive power plants to meet their foreign buyers' demands, do not escape the wrath of KESC.
They are asked to file bond paper empowering the KESC to raise any demand in the form of supplementary bills if they want a NOC for installation of an electric generator.
"Can we survive in such a system?", Shekhani questioned.
Nisar Shekhani said that tripping of feeders has become a routine, which probably is not being taken up seriously, and is resulting in heavy production losses to the affected industrial units. Apart from lodging complaints with KESC`s officials almost daily, the KESC management has remained immune to the complaints and indifferent on finding the real cause of frequent tripping of feeders and breaking of distribution system, he added.
He urged Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, Federal Water and Power Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi and Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim to take a serious note of it, and give strong directives to the KESC management to improve its transmission and distribution system and put the things right within 48 hours, so that the consumers, particularly industrial consumers, who are paying billion of rupees to the KESC on account of monthly billing may get some relief and be able to meet their export commitments.
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