People of Karachi have been holding demonstrations at various places across the city to protest against the skyrocketing increase in power bills and what they said is overcharging on the part of K-Electric.Protests have been erupting in all the districts of the city, and causing traffic jams and road blockages.
People of the Korangi district blocked the road at the Bara Bazaar on Friday around 1pm, due to which traffic coming from Landhi towards Korangi was snarled up.Another protest was held in the East district on Nishtar Road near the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation workshop on Friday afternoon. A protest was also held in Nazimabad in the Central district, jamming traffic for hours.
The Jamaat-e-Islami held protests at over 200 locations in the city on Thursday. JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman led a protest by traders at the main Jama Cloth Market, where a large number of shopkeepers participated in the demonstration.
Those who addressed the protest demonstration included trader leaders Attique Mir, Mahmood Hamid, Shaikh Alam, Asif Gulfam and Sharif Memon.Speaking to media, a resident of the South district’s Saddar Town, Muhammad Asghar, said that he lives in a 60-square-yard house and yet receives a Rs16,000 bill a month.“We are unable to make ends meet,” he said, adding that they are unable to pay the house rent due to the ever-increasing utility bills.Shabbi Aslam runs a tea shop in Saddar.
He said that due to the increasing power tariff, he is unable to pay salaries to his staff.“We run a hotel. We can’t turn off lights to save some power units from consumption,” he said, pointing out that it has become almost impossible for them to run their business.The situation is similar almost everywhere. A resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Kiran Salman, said that she is the sole breadwinner of her family.“I tailor clothes to earn a decent living and bear the expenses of my children’s education. With such a high power tariff, it is nearly impossible for us to make ends meet,” she said.
All Karachi Traders Association Chairman Attique Mir said that the increase in power tariff has hugely impacted businesses across the city. “Our budget is out of control now. We have received double the amount of bills in comparison to what we got last year,” he said. Due to the increase in power and petrol prices, he said, unemployment has also kicked in because business activities have been lowered by 70 per cent in the city.KE Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi said in a video statement that violence against the power utility’s staff is unacceptable.“Our staff are our assets and a source of pride for the organisation. We know that people are unhappy with the rising electricity prices. However, violence and incitement cannot improve the situation at all,” he said.The authority to determine electricity rates, he said, rests with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Energy. He said that not paying power bills is not the solution to the problem.“Paying for items purchased in daily life, like petrol, and similarly, paying for electricity used, is a responsibility. No religion, law, society or moral theory of the world has any scope for an act like theft,” he said.He said that they are grateful to their staff members for their service to the city and their customers despite these difficult circumstances. “The administration and staff are still active for the betterment of this city,” he said.
According to a statement issued by the JI, during Friday’s protest, the party’s city chief alleged that white-collar criminals were working at the KE. He demanded that the government take action against them before the people took the law into their own hands.He hailed the traders for voicing their concerns at a time when a very few people dared to speak against injustice. He said the traders’ protest would open the floodgates for reaction against the KE across the city.
