The management of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has assured members of Site Association of Industry (SAI) that out of 35 tripped power supply feeders in Site industrial area 15 will be restored by midnight and rest would be restored by Friday morning.
Talking to Business Recorder, Chairman SAI Amin Bandukda said that a meeting was held with KESC officials and discussed the issue of power failure in detail on Thursday. He said that KESC officials Khanzada and Tariq Noor informed the association that a team of KESC engineers and linemen working on 35 tripped power feeders and hoped that power supply would be restored by midnight.
Replying to a question he said that the association would decide its future line of action if the KESC management fails to restore power as per promise. He also urged the city government to direct KWSB to depute its staff for early pumping out of stagnant rainwater from roads in industrial area.
President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Haroon Farooki has urged the concerned authorities to take immediate steps to ensure restoration of electric supply and clearance of rain and drain water stagnant in Jodia Bazar area. He said that rains have played havoc with the trading activities of Jodia Bazar. The whole market is without electricity for the last five days while the rain and drain water up to the keen level is stagnant all around.
He said that business activities have almost come to standstill. Largest wholesale cloth market of the city situated in Jodia Bazar was worst suffered, he added.
Meanwhile, Chairman, North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI), Dawood Usman Jakhura and founder chairman of the association Captain A Moiz Khan lashes out the KESC management said that North Karachi Industrial area is without power for the last 72 hours which has completely paralysed the exporting industries.
Shipments are being delayed thereby causing colossal financial loss to the exports. Not only that non-compliance of delivery dates may result in cancelling of present and future export orders which would be national loss.
They expressed their resentment on the information from sources, that top brass of KESC management has directed the operational staff of KESC to give preference to residential and commercial areas for rectifying electricity faults and sidelined the industries. They have urged the chief minister Dr Arbab Rahim and Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad to take a serious notice of the situation before it is too late.