FEDERAL Government appears to be on the move to address the power-related woes of the people of Karachi. It has now constituted a Special Committee to act as a one window operation for K-Electric in order to ensure provision of uninterrupted power supply to people of Karachi as per the directives of the Supreme Court. It has also sought removal of the top leadership of the power utility over its inability to address power disruptions within reasonable time after recent rains.
There is no doubt that the K-electric has miserably failed to meet the power requirements of the people of Karachi. As a result of its sheer negligence, the people have been suffering from prolonged power outages over the last many years. The fact is that the power utility company has not invested either in power generation or the distribution system as per the obligation. Had it done so, the situation would not have been that worse today. Its sorry state of affairs can be gauged from the fact that it had no pumps in recent rains to drain out water from its sub-stations. The PTI government has in recent months come forward to provide the K-electric with additional electricity as well as enhanced gas supply to it for the sake of Karachiites. In our view, the situation will not improve with short-term measures such as the setting up of Committees. The government will soon have to take a bold decision regarding the future of K-electric. Talking to the media persons on Saturday, Minister for Planning Asad Umar said a decision will soon be taken whether K-electric should remain privatized or be handed over to the federal government. If the top officials of the K-electric do not move towards bringing improvement in the system, the government must bring the power utility company to its fold and take steps towards building a more effective power distribution network which cater to the requirements of Karachiites. Power tariff should also not be raised until the city’s residents are provided with uninterrupted power supply.
