KARACHI: Commemorating Pakistan's 74th year of Independence, K-Electric's senior management visited the Coach Emad Football Academy in Lyari to celebrate the occasion with the community and its representatives along with the elected officials of the area. In addition to a flag hoisting ceremony, a friendly football match was organized for local residents to showcase their skills.

Lyari epitomizes resilience and diversity. As one of the oldest areas of Karachi, it is home to hundreds of markets including the iconic Jodia Bazaar and the Timber Market. It is also an exporter of sporting talent to the country producing footballers and boxers who have played at national and international levels as well. The only individual medal winner for Pakistan in Olympics Hussain Shah is the son of Lyari. Shah won his medal at the boxing event of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Small businesses have mushroomed across the area in the past decade, empowering the residents and contributing to the local and national economy.

In line with its commitment to the city of Karachi, K-Electric has been working on providing a safe, reliable, and consistent supply of power to spur socio-economic development. In the last fiscal year alone, KE has invested over PKR 850 million in its continued vision to drive growth in Lyari, and future plans continue to be conceived to extend the load-shed exemption to these areas.

Through sustained investments and with cooperation from the elected and community representatives of the area, KE has been able to successfully exempt over 40% of Lyari from load-shed, impacting the equivalent of 60,000 households. Today, areas like Agra Taj Colony, Nishter Road, Bolton Market, Khori Garden, and Behar Colony are among those receiving an uninterrupted power supply.

Furthermore, KE has installed over 46,000 meters in the area in just the last year, which demonstrates the growing appetite for electricity. Over 60 percent of the Pole-Mounted Transformer network has also been converted to Aerial Bundled Cables which ensures the continued supply of safe electricity to this densely populated area. To facilitate consumers, KE's area teams regularly organize camps and undertake initiatives to engage the community and support them in acquiring regularized metered connections at lower costs.

While addressing the event, UC chairman Habib Hassan said, "Today, we are jubilant to have CEO KE, Moonis Alvi and his team during the Independence Day celebrations, and hoisting of Pakistan's flag...."-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021