City Council on Monday proposed to the city government to set up its own power generation plants to meet electricity demand of the metropolis, if Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) does not withdraw the recent raise in power tariff.
Continuing a second-day debate on the 'very serious' issue of power shortage in Karachi with special emphasis on the recent increase in electricity charges by KESC, members from two sides of the house reiterated their demand on reverting privatisation of the public utility.
Almost 168 members of the city legislature, a specially convened emergency session of which was held at Old KMC Building with Naib Nazim Nasrin Jalil in the chair, ensured their attendance on Monday after a newspaper pictured empty benches on the opposition side during the last session.
City legislatures from the two ever-opposing sides of the house continued to criticise the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) for its poor performance and pressed on their demand from Islamabad to take control of the privately-run public utility, immediately.
Soon after the convenor resumed the session Leader of the Opposition Saeed Ghani welcomed the two opposition members, who had announced their resignations during the last session, saying that they had revisited their decision after a request from the Sindh Chief Minster.
He also expressed concern over the covert allotment of plots in the 125-acre land area allocated for TP-II Water Treatment Plant in his union council. He urged the house to take an immediate notice of the illegal practice or ready to witness problems in the days to come.
Uproar came from the opposition benches when Abdul Jalil from treasury showed the house a newspaper picture showing some of the treasury benches vacant during the last session. The Haq Parast member claimed that the report was depicting the level of interest his counterparts from opposition were taking in the city affairs.
With all the opposition members on their feet, Ghani defended his side by saying that the picture was taken at the beginning of the session and had "We not been interested in the city affairs we would not have signed a requisition for an emergency session".
While many from the two sides reiterated the oft-repeated demand of reversal of KESC's privatisation, bringing those corrupted/exploited the KESC privatisation to justice, declaring Karachi a calamity-hit city, staging a protest at Karachi Press Club, arresting the KESC officials involved in "Kunda" system, checking the power-theft by big factories in collaboration with KESC staffers etc.
An important proposal, however, came from Mazhar Alam of treasury and Mohammad Islam Khan of opposition who advised the city government to set up power generating turbines of its own instead of looking at the profit-hungry privately-run KESC.
Alam said City District Government Karachi (CDGK) should, like many of the European countries, develop its own power generating plants if KESC did not withdraw the recent hike in electricity charges.
Khan stressing the need to take some "practical steps" said each UC should allocate at least Rs 100 million annually for installing turbines in the city and providing the poverty-stricken Karachiites with electricity on subsidised rates.
Proposed the formation of a committee to prepare feasibility report for the proposed project Khan said CDGK should file petition against KESC in the court on the issue of exorbitant raise in power tariff.
Terming the new KESC meters as "faster" recording 35 percent more units than normal, the opposition member also demanded that bill surcharge and GST should be abolished to provide relief to the taxes-hit masses. Khan's speech proved to be the last one for the day, as after that the convenor adjourned the special session till Tuesday at 4 pm.
Those spoke included Ahsan Siddiqui, Ibrahim Mughal, Ishrat Jehan, Mohammad Yaqub, Kulsoom Shama, Syed Sajid Ali, Fazlur-Rehman, Mohammad Younas Quershi, Anwar Baloch etc.