The PTI with its single seat victory in Sindh is acting just like the ANP with its two seat victory did in the 2008 general elections. It thinks it has conquered the entire political turf in Karachi. The MQM was and is the strongest party in Karachi but it lacks self-confidence. It is reacting to PTI provocation in the same way it reacted to the ANP provocation five years ago. So, folks, there ain't gonna be change in the political scenario, which in turn means Karachi's problems might remain unsolved.
Any further delay in solving the power crisis on the pretext of political hooliganism can lead to a total collapse of business, trade, industry in this city, which is the heart in the economic body of Pakistan. The PML-N which, along with its unnecessary coalition partners will form the new government, promised to end the power crisis. But it wants three years to achieve this promised relief. Mian Sahib, three years is far too long a time. Karachi's power crisis must end now.
It can be done. We know it from past experience. During the PPP regime, when its very existence was threatened due to violent protests against massive power outages, the government hurriedly solved Karachi's power crisis. Last year, for the first time in five years the whole city did not suffer from significant power outage even in the hot, hot month of October. This is temporary relief. It will not last long, as the real problem still exists.
The real problem was not power shortage but short supply, and ultimately non-availability of funds to purchase furnace oil. The Independent Power Producers (IPPs) shut down. The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) could not generate to capacity because it too had no money for purchase of sufficient furnace oil.
In short, the crisis was due to shortage of funds. The national budget is due next month. It remains to be seen if the PML-N campaign slogan to end the country's power crisis translates into fact through the allocation of large funds for the purchase of furnace oil. Karachi, the largest consumer of thermal energy will breath easy. If, on the other hand, it has grand plans for Karachi such as introducing solar and wind generated power to supplement thermal energy supply, it will never be able to solve the crisis in Karachi.
The alternative sources of energy will take three years or more to be installed through Sindh, and Karachi will be dealt as a provincial issue only. The only solution is thermal energy now. Once the alternative sources are established, dependence on thermal energy and thus on funnelling precious funds to purchase costly oil, can be reduced.
The PML-N manifesto laid special stress on Karachi's problems, but it seems to think every thing here will be O.K. once the city's law and order problem is solved. Not true, because there are too many complex reasons for unrest in Karachi. Terrorism, political rivalry, land grabbing, tanker and transport monopoly, smuggling (though the drug trade has got little attention in recent years), shortage of electricity, water and CNG which has caused several horrific riots, ethnic and sectarian confrontation.
The priority should be economic stability of the city. Trade commerce and industry should be run on oiled wheels. Uninterrupted power supply will ensure factories and trade does not have to shut down for hours, which means loss of production and commerce, which means retrenchment of labour who, with nothing better to do, will resort to rioting and crime. The city has the potential to introduce several new industries trades and services, but if there is uncertainty such as caused by power shortage, then no one wants to invest, which means potential jobs are not generated, which means the number of jobless youth in the city grows, which means more riots and crime.
Here is an example of how one good thing leads to another. Eversince Karachi's residential consumers have been receiving adequate power supply, there have been no power riots. Also no water riots. Because there is water in the pipeline. The pumps are working regularly to ensure the flow of water in the pipelines. This brought an end to our dependence on tanker supply. Since December my apartment building has not needed tanker water. The first one was called on May 10. In the past we had to send for a tanker every ten days. Three apartments shared the cost and it was a total of two thousand per month per apartment. So in the four tanker-free months we saved a total of 24,000 rupees. How's that? Plus it must have made a dent in the tanker mafia's profits. I do not think they were at all happy. Probably they would like to see a return of power shortage.
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