As Karachiites are subjected to prolonged power cuts, amid sizzling summer and lockdown, Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Mustafa Kamal on Thursday urged the Federal Government to end K-Electric’s monopoly, with ensuring a level playing field for other market players to independently generate, buy, transmit and distribute electricity to consumers under the pattern of cellular companies currently operating in the country. Kamal said that for the past several years, the incompetent management of K-Electric has not only been publicly crying over its failure and incompetence but because of its monopoly has subjected Karachites to bear it’s miserable conduct. The only solution to the problems faced by the people of Karachi due to announced, unannounced load shedding, excessive and unfair bills is to end the monopoly of K-Electric for the purchase and transmission of electricity and to provide electricity to various companies in Karachi in the style of cellular companies. This would not only ensure competition amongst the players, and every company would strive to improve its service quality but also the consumers can be protected from the torment of excessive bills and load shedding. Kamal has so far sent two letters to the Chairman NEPRA regarding the injustices of K-Electric with more than 20 million customers in Karachi in which he took a stand stating that the issues of K-Electric are of serious nature in the public interest, i-e reimbursement of almost Rs 55 billion to over 20 million customers in Karachi, elimination of additional collection of Rs 9.5 billion under the head of bad debt, and stopping K-Electric from unjust profiteering from the public. He raised questions about the steps taken by NEPRA so far to reduce the future liabilities of K-Electric from Rs 25.2 billion to Rs 43.6 billion. The PSPsupremo demanded from the state institutions to take notice of the plight of the people of the city which contributes 70% of the revenue to the country and 90% to the province of Sindh.
