Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Monday directed the Additional Inspector General of Karachi, Khadim Hussain Rind, to functionalize the K-Electric Police station. Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar said while presiding over a meeting of KE to resolve their issues and work out a strategy to provide uninterrupted, cheap electricity to the people of Karachi.
Earlier, KE Chief Monis Alvi told the CM that 174 instances of mob attacks on KE staff had been recorded; therefore, he requested protection. At this point, the CM directed Additional IGP Karachi Khadim Rind to provide protection to KE staff. The Additional IG Police said that KE has a separate police station with an SHO and ample police staff. The CM directed the AIGP Karachi to functionalize the KE Police Station.
The KE CEO told the CM that the tariff hike and power theft have shrunk power consumption by five percent and decreased recoveries by 3.4 percent. At this point, the CM said that ways and means should be explored to generate cheap electricity that customers could afford to use. The Caretaker Sindh CM has urged K-Electric to generate cheap electricity by using local fuel, including renewable fuel, so that people could heave a sigh of relief over their power bills. He also urged the KE to guide their customers to use such appliances as fans and LED bulbs, which consume less electricity, so that their burden of heavy bills could be curtailed.
The meeting was attended by Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Agha Wasif, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi, Commissioner Karachi Saleem Rajput, Adl IG Karachi Khadim Rind, Secretary Energy Fayaz Abbasi, KE CEO Monis Alvi, Tariq Shah of the Energy Department, Shabar Zedi, and others.
The chief minister said that the KE should add local fuel-based electricity to their system so that the power tariff could be reduced. The CEO, KE Moonis Alvi, told the CM that the KE was going to add 2172 MW, including 1,182 MW from renewable energy. The chief minister also directed the KE to ensure the timely provision of electricity bills so that customers could have a few days to pay them. The KE Chief assured the Chief Minister that the provision of bills on time would be ensured.
