The K-Electric has been taking action against theft of electricity across the megacity. Every day, teams from each of the utility’s 30 Customer Care centers conduct extensive kunda-removal drives to further the utility’s goals of reducing transmission and distribution losses.
According to a press statement issued by the power utility, over 1,800 kilos of illegal wires being used to energize almost 900 connections have been removed from the areas of North Karachi, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, and Surjani.
“KE’s teams in Orangi also removed over 180 kilos of kunda wires, while over 500 kilos were removed from Baldia and various localities of Lyari.” In one incident in the Central Muslimabad area near the Lyari Expressway, KE teams identified and removed a 200-metre underground cable weighing 700kg, which had been illegally installed to power a water hydrant.
Expressing grave concern, the spokesperson for the K-Electric, Ovais Munshi, said that such incidents are a stark reminder of the scale of the problem facing Karachi, where a handful of activities are yielding over 3,000 kilograms of illegal wires.
“Not only do these pose a threat to the safety of the public, such cables are also prone to short circuiting, which can result in fires that damage the KE’s network. We urge the public to support the utility’s efforts to reduce the electricity losses and enable KE to bring uninterrupted power supply to a larger part of Karachi,” he said.Compounding the problem of theft is non-payment of electricity bills, which increases the ratio of losses in an area.
As a private company, the KE cannot continue to provide free electricity to customers who steal electricity and also amass heavy outstanding dues Alongside regular disconnection drives which involves 5,000 disconnections each day on average due to non-payment of bills, KE teams are also regularly engaging with customers through various activities to encourage them towards timely bill payments. Daylong consumer facilitation camps have also been established across Gadap, Malir, Korangi, Tipu Sultan, and Bahadurabad among other communities where residents can be immediately assisted on their billing queries.
The KE urged its customers to play their role in creating safer and thriving communities by ensuring timely bill payments and reporting incidences of electricity theft. For this purpose, the company has an established a platform called “Speak Up” where any complainant can report instances of theft or malpractice under assurance of anonymity. All complaints are independently investigated and strict action is taken in case any malpractice is identified.
