'No load shedding during Iftar and Sehr'

The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has assured that there would be no load shedding in the Iftar and Sehr period, during Ramazan. Jan Abbas Zaidi, Chief Operating Officer for Distribution, while talking to media persons during a certificate distribution ceremony of First Batch of Semi-Skilled Lineman Training, organised by KESC here at IEP Auditorium on Tuesday, said that the company would make its effort to exempt the Iftar and Sehr timings from load shedding.
He, however, linked the smooth supply of power with the supply of required gas during the holy month. Talking about the power theft, he hoped that those who were consuming the electricity through illegal connections would not continue having the supply through unfair means. Talking about the process of linking the company's grids with SCADA, which leaves the related areas into darkness for hours, Jaan Abbas, said though the process could not be stopped in the holy month for linking the grids of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Shah Faisal and Lyari, it would be tried to minimise the affect of the process.
Zafar Aziz Usmani, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Organisation Management, while addressing the employees of the company who had completed the training under the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan (IEP), said that the management would not fire any of its employees and it would rather train them to produce the required result.
"After privatisation every company wants to minimise the cost through firing the unskilled or comparatively unproductive staff but KESC will not act upon such policies," he said adding that the company would develop the skills of its employees as they are the human capital for the utility.
The company has allocated at least Rs 22 million for the training of its employees and this historic training was the first step to achieve KESC's Career Progression Plan for all Non-Management and Management employees, he added. He said the Career Progression Plan would allow all willing employees to receive trainings and improve their skills, allowing them the opportunity to progress within the organisation and work towards their own success.
Almost 50 unskilled workers that were trained, including the pertinent and contracted staffs were given the certificates of Linemen Training (a joint venture between KESC and IEP).
Calling the employees as ambassador for the company, Usmani said that over 17000 employees of the public utility should take part for the image building of the company across the city. To a question related to the brain-drain inside the company due to the salary disparity, he presented the excuse that the new comers deserved present salaries according to their skill and qualifications.
To another question about the future of the 8000 contract employees he said that, they had also been given training to accommodate them on the vacant seats. Calling the employees as ambassador for the company, Usmani said that the over 17000 employees of the public utility should take part for the image building of the company across the city.