A blanket permission for self-generation by the industrial consumers in the private sector is required for achieving the targeted growth of 10 percent in the exports, set by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC). This is the crux of the feelings among the industrial consumers in the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (Site), the country's biggest industrial estate housing around 2,000 industries of all kinds.
Site Association of Industry's (SAI) sub-committee for Fuel, Gas and Power, Chairman, M. Arif Bilwani expressing displeasure over the continuous loadshedding of power, in a letter to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), has invited its attention towards the problems being faced by the industrialists in this regard.
He said: "On the one hand, the licensee ie, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) is unable to supply the power uninterruptedly and at requisite voltage, on the other hand, it made the Electric Inspector subservient by pressurising him not to issue any permission for self-generation without obtaining first no objection certificate (NOC) by the consumers from the KESC."
The licensee (KESC) requires from its consumers, seeking the NOC, to provide on bond paper, an undertaking that "any dues/arrears of any kind, as and when worked out by the KESC, shall be payable by the consumer without question." Even, if the consumer fulfils this demand, the licensee refers to section 22 of the Nepra Act, on the plea that the consumers must first serve three years prior the notice, as provided under the Act, before permission is granted for self-generation.
Bilwani asked the Nepra to provide the ruling in writing to the effect that self-generation by the consumers did not attract section 22 and further restrained the licensee from obtaining undertakings of any kind.
He also directed the Electric Inspector to issue permission for self-generation to the consumers who fulfilled the requirements of the Electricity Act and Rules.
The German Consul General in Karachi, during her visit to the SAI early this week, narrated an episode relating to the KESC working.
While referring to image building of the country, she said the KESC had asked for an undertaking to pay for fixing the fault on the overhead lines in front of the Consulate General, which had caused disconnection of electric supply to the diplomatic mission.
She informed those present that the generator in the mission came to the rescue. Such an act couldn't improve the image building of the country, she thought.
SAI Chairman Dr Ikhtiar Baig had to apologise on behalf of the KESC, being its director and assured the Consul General that he would take up the issue in the KESC's board meeting. He also described the incident deplorable.
According to the Fuel, Gas and Power sub-committee Chairman, section 22 is against the essence of Article 18 of the constitution of Pakistan and is also in conflict with the objective section of the Nepra Acts and Rules wherein it has been provided that the Nepra has been established for the protection of the rights of consumers. It was not understandable that by imposing three years notice limit, how the right of the consumer was protected, he questioned. Either section 22 should be deleted in toto or the notice period might be amended to 30 days, he added.