Speakers at a meeting of Shura Hamdard, Karachi chapter urged the government to use coal to generate electricity and stressed upon the people for the conservation of energy by keeping extra bulbs, tube lights and airconditioners off particularly at the peak hours.
The meeting held on the theme 'Country wide electricity crisis, our economy and effects on society', was presided over by Major General Ghulam Umar (Retd) at a local hotel, said a press release issued here on Sunday.
Dr Mirza Arshad Ali Beg, former director general, Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) while addressing the meeting said, "ultimately, we should have to go on coal for producing electricity, because we have tremendous reservoirs of coal estimating 180000 million tonnes. So we should set up power plants based on coal without further delay." He said the capacity of power production of KESC had been reduced to 900 mega watts only and the electricity it receives from other sources was 850 - mega watts so it had only 1750 mega watts while the need of Karachi was 2100 mega watts.
The deficit of 250-mega watts electricity was met by load shedding by the KESC, which was unavoidable in this situation.
The responsibility of Wapda and KESC's losses was on the shoulders of government officials. Similarly, responsibility of tripping of electricity went to the shoulders of those people who took load.
He was of the opinion that if big dams were built in Pakistan, we will sell extra electricity to others. The lives of our power stations were going to finish now, so we should have to come on hydropower and coal power, be added.
Highlighting the difficulties of a consumer, Mohammed Ahmed Sabzwari said that load shedding compelled students to make examination's preparation in the light of candles and put the lives of patients in danger in operation theatres when all of a sudden light is gone.
Shura in a unanimous resolution condoled the deaths of its member Maulana Rahat Gul and Masudul Aziz, brother of Qutubuddin Aziz, Dy Speaker of Shura Hamdard Karachi chapter.-PR