The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has disconnected the power supply to defaulting government departments for the recovery of over Rs 1.5 billion outstanding charges. A KESC spokesman on Monday confirmed that the disconnected departments include Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) offices for default of power bills amounting to Rs 1 billion, since last six months.
The power utility has also disconnected the supply to the offices of City District Government of Landhi and Malir Towns on non-payment of dues.
However, the KESC has not disconnected the supply to pumping stations of the KWSB in order to ensure that water supply to the city is not disturbed.
The spokesman further said that the KESC, since December 8, this year, has been requesting the concerned departments to make payments of the long outstanding dues and had already informed the federal and provincial governments regarding the drive against the defaulting government departments.
The law-enforcement agencies were also informed about the situation to keep vigilant and be available in case of any untoward situation that may arise.
The disconnection of 'New Sabzi Mandi' has been deferred until December 27 as consumers have made a payment of Rs 5 million and promised another Rs 10 million before the deadline.
The KESC spokesman said that power supply would not be restored unless the payments are made to maintain even-handedness against the domestic and commercial consumers.
The industrial consumers of the utility are making regular payments and the billing recovery ratio is about 99 percent, the spokesman added.
He said that the corporation was determined to ensure due recoveries of the dues as the utility was engaged in system enhancement work to upgrade the power supply system.
Unless the company is made financially viable, it cannot continue as an efficient service-provider, the KESC spokesman said, adding that the transmission and distribution losses will also be brought down to 34 percent this year from the earlier 41 percent.
PPI ADDS: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), on Monday, appealed to the government for provision of subsidy to pay its electricity dues, as the KESC had disconnected the power supply to all its offices due to non-payment of dues.
According to a KW&SB press release, issued on Monday, the KESC severed the power supply of the KW&SB head office near the Civic Centre, besides all its other offices, including those at Karsaz and Shahrae Faisal.
KW&SB managing director, Brigadier Iftikhar Haider talking to newsmen at his office said that the KW&SB has to pay the KESC an amount of Rs 629 million, while it had already paid 100 percent dues of Rs 132 million in October.
He said that as the government had paid the KESC a subsidy of Rs 17 billion, it should also extend such a help to the KW&SB to help it in standing on its own feet. Brigadier Iftikhar said that it was right of his organisation to demand a subsidy from the government so as to pay its power dues.
He said that due to the disconnection of electricity the office work had virtually came to a standstill and added he had apprised the provincial and city governments of the situation.
Brigadier Iftikhar Haider said that the various government departments owed the KW&SB dues of Rs 3 billion. He said that despite this fact they had not cut the water supply of these departments.
He said that the KW&SB pays Rs 1.60 billion annually on its electricity bill, adding that this amount was fully arranged by the board from its own sources.
The KW&SB MD said that the government agencies should take care of each other. He said that many other departments were also defaulters of the KESC but it had only targeted the KW&SB, which is a basic and sensitive utility-providing entity.
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