Allow me to refer to KESC's performance under privatised management. Frequency of power outages was never as much as it is now. It is taking place both during day and night at all hours.
Their duration varies from a couple of hours to even five hours. The interval between two power outages is sometimes less than even an hour.
There are times during which common sense dictates that there should be no power outage, yet the worst power outages occur during those times. For instance during night all commercial activity remains at a standstill, markets are closed, offices are not open, and many an industrial undertaking is not functioning. According to the KESC's latest Annual Report, 2005, base load demand during the night is 860 MWs only, compared to the day peak demand of 2,104 MWs. Yet the worst power outages are known to occur during the night.
In summer, in the absence of electricity and hence fans sleep is out of the question. Less and less sleep night after night tells adversely on peoples' performance at work during the day. As a result, Karachi's contribution to the gross national product is getting affected qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Is KESC in a position to compensate its consumers for the losses its interruption prone electricity supply is causing them?
Sunday is a closed holiday with the result that not only all the offices without exception are closed, but even a large number of industrial undertakings are closed. Amazingly, on Sundays too power outages lasting for hours are common. This deprives people of their weekly rest.
All this cannot be without a sinister design behind it. It might be that the new private management has not been able to win over the loyalties of the KESC's vast work force, which is not putting forth its best efforts. Rather it is acting hostilely with the management.
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