The Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited, in line with its broader vision to optimise and upgrade services and to improve power distribution network, has launched 'third meter removal drive' aimed at minimising irregular consumption of electricity. Under the initiative, the utility will remove additional meters per premises, where three or more meters are installed.
The drive is in accordance with the Nepra requirement which envisages one meter for one premises and not a multiplicity of meters per premises. The KESC at the moment has opted to take out third meter only and would let the first and second meter remain intact, to eliminate irregular consumption of power so as to stabilise power distribution system and optimise load management concerns.
By irregular consumption it is meant that the consumer's load has not crossed the energy limits for two meters and the third meter has only been installed to gain illegitimate slab benefits without ensuring that the connected load of the third meter and the power consumption correspondingly match between the other two meters. All security deposits and payment made for any additional/third meter would be adjusted against electricity bills being duly generated on the other meters etc.
The KESC has sent notices to such consumers who have three or more electricity meters at one premise which should technically and ideally have one meter. The billing history of such consumers for the last 12 months has already been examined by KESC and this confirms the current position that prima facie irregular load consumption is occurring through unequal distribution of load among the multiple meters which can safely be handled by two meters at the said premises. To further double check the position, the KESC's inspection team would visit such premises shortly in the presence of the consumers and would take fresh readings to determine the current consumption requirements and determine whether the said premises should have the third meter removed under the scheme.-PR