PTI lawmakers urge Centre to bring in another company to resolve Karachi's power woes
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PTI lawmakers on Sunday urged the federal government to end K-Electric's (KE) "monopoly" by bringing in another company to distribute electricity in an effort to solve the power issues being faced by citizens living in the metropolis.
They also announced that they will stage sit-ins outside the KE's head office from Monday (tomorrow) on a daily basis.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi said that the city has been facing electricity issues for a long time.
"The citizens of Karachi are demanding cheap electricity," he said, demanding an equal rate of power in the whole country.
Rejecting the power utility's justification for prolonged power outages, Naqvi said that the KE was providing incorrect information and despite assuring the Sindh governor otherwise, had not ended load-shedding within 48 hours.
"KE's power [generation] capacity is restricted to 600MW," he said, adding that the power utility had also failed to maintain its plants.
"Citizens have become fed up with their attitude. The time has come to think about another system for power," he said, urging the federal government to resolve the city's power crisis. "Another company should be brought in to distribute power in Karachi."
Meanwhile, MNA Aftab Siddiqi said that initially KE's head had promised to end load-shedding on June 28, but when he was reminded of this, he failed to give a satisfactory response.
"The shortage of furnace oil has been resolved and there is no shortage of gas. Each year, citizens suffer such prolonged power outages.
"People are quarantined because of Covid-19, power outages are just adding to their problems," he said, adding that they wanted a definitive timeline for when load-shedding will come to an end.
He also said that KE had written a letter to the Sindh governor for giving a presentation. No representative will listen to any presentation from KE, he said. "All talks will be held in the presence of the public and the media."
He also demanded that the government's contract with KE should be made public and the power utility should put an end to over-billing. He said that they will approach the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority for an audit of KE and will also go to the SC against the power utility.
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Comments (51) Closed
Jul 05, 2020 05:31pm
They are 100 percent right because presently, KE has got an absolute monopoly to design, generate, distribute, maintain and service the flow of power and electricity in the city of Karachi, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Unless more power generation and distribution companies are allowed to become stakeholders and competitors to KE, the load-shedding and power stoppage dilemmas could neither be curtailed nor contained in the biggest and the greatest city of the "Land of the Pure."
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Jul 05, 2020 05:31pm
I don’t want to write more about this issue, but very soon people of Karachi will hear the good news.
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Jul 05, 2020 05:34pm
There are over 40 executives in KE who draw unimaginably fabulous salaries and perks for doing nothing and putting the whole city in the darkness.
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Jul 05, 2020 05:35pm
protest against own government??
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Jul 05, 2020 05:36pm
You mean bring China Electric?
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Jul 05, 2020 05:49pm
Double game...why the Government has increased recently per unit rate of KE...To whom this people are trying to fool and to whom they want to please at the expense of people of Karachi...This city is Orphan..All the people at power do not have any stakes...So we have being and will suffer....Even electable are taking care of their financial interests not of Karachi....In the name of Karachi they are extorting funds...money...and few selected are enjoying.....
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Jul 05, 2020 06:05pm
Who owns KE. An audit by a transparent entity is the need.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:09pm
PTI makes plans, talks high but in reality it has done nothing. The demand is just to showing off to people of Karachi.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:11pm
PTI will lose next elections in Karachi with exemplary margins for sure. This government has made lives of people miserable and pathetic.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:11pm
KE a private company owned by another country giving pain to the citizens by all means. Should be scrutinized.
Oh sorry I forget, KE is Karachi Electric, it's impossible.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:16pm
Good suggestion. Monopoly should end.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:20pm
Too late too little.
Grab this opportunity to show your honesty to Karachi
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Jul 05, 2020 06:26pm
Imran Khan must do something for Karachi as people of Karachi voted him with great hopes and expectations. Unfortunately IK has not delivered anything to them.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:46pm
We really want competition for KElectric. Although they have improved their customer support etc but generation or distribution is still below par.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:49pm
Sir, Have we solved problems in other part of the country
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Jul 05, 2020 06:50pm
Not a good idea. Let the retired KESC employees make a group, take over and manage Karachi electricity. I guarantee you that their performance will be far better even if the do some corruption. Huge amount of dollars will also be saved.
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Jul 05, 2020 06:54pm
I have been adovocating take over of Karachi Electric for more than 2 years. They have been a complete failure and are responsible for the misery of the customer and for the loss of customer electrical appliances and manupilating electric bills. Too much time is wasted, immediate action is needed that is takeover of the company immediately.
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Jul 05, 2020 07:33pm
The plight of KE shows the knowledge and skills of our engineers and technicians. Why don't we call foreign engineers to build our system once for all and then maintain it.
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Jul 05, 2020 07:34pm
Corruption has swallowed huge institutions and KE is one of them.
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Jul 05, 2020 07:52pm
KE is a disappointment...but is Wapda any different?
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Jul 05, 2020 07:59pm
Benazir Bhutto signed a deal with an US company to provide electricity with the condition, they will have American CEO, payments to the company will be in US dollor and company can charge what they want.
We are suffering ever since. These companies come with an agenda. Refer John Perkins, 'confessions of an economic hitman'
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Jul 05, 2020 08:08pm
I must say this most brilliant scientist in the world, is really brilliant. He has opened the scope for betterment of Pakistan from within PTI. This is good for Paksiatn.
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Jul 05, 2020 08:36pm
Like PTI has addressed transportation woes of Peshawar by BRT! PTI can only perform on social media , rest there is no hope!
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Jul 05, 2020 08:39pm
Only Talk No Walk
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Jul 05, 2020 08:42pm
@Fahim, “.. PTI will lose..” fair enough.. but we all know the alternative will be PPP or MQM and neither of them have done anything for Karachi except looting its resources!!! We must give PTI authority to function in Sindh.. this may mean temporary President rule!!
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Jul 05, 2020 08:52pm
No electricity in nuclear power Pakistan ?
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Jul 05, 2020 09:00pm
Sadly, Karachi is only use to make money by all level of Govt. No opinion collected from Karachitte about selling of KESC to KE and agreement is so secretiveness as it is a defense agreement.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:06pm
This PTI protest is nothing but Eye Wash. PTI MNA have already resigned months ago citing he can't resolve Karachi issue and no one care in Islamabad.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:15pm
Promotion & awareness about Solar energy must.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:26pm
The governance of Karachi has been messy since years, but it cannot go on like this any more.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:47pm
No merit no results.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:50pm
Not possible for Pakistan to remove China out.
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Jul 05, 2020 09:57pm
Looks like engineers and technicians degree was from Axact.
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Jul 05, 2020 10:45pm
Firdous Shamim Naqvi befouling the citizen of Karachi.
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Jul 05, 2020 10:52pm
Nothing has changed when KESC became private company working as KE in Karachi city:
Nothing will change in big terms :If any other alternative power company will come into existence to work in the city.
Nothing will change even if KE is taken over by Province Govt...
Nothing will change even if KE is taken over by Federal Govt...
Real change and betterment in private or public organizations and departments is distant dream in our society.
Just try to live with what it is or what you have...
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Jul 05, 2020 11:54pm
That's a good point.
Karachi is a very large city. It makes sense to me to have more than one provider.
Big cities require creative solutions.
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Jul 06, 2020 12:24am
What happened to PTI's 'keep Karachi movement'?
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Jul 06, 2020 12:32am
@Syed A. Mateen, We have been hearing good news since PTI took over the government.
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Jul 06, 2020 12:50am
PTI won elections in Karachi only because MQM was not allowed to contest. The city's problems will not be resolved until & unless the city's genuine representatives are allowed to sit in the voting assemblies.
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Jul 06, 2020 01:18am
What about other distributing companies like HESCO of hyderabad. KE is one million tims better than HESCO. Hesco is full of looters , criminals and robbers. Go and ask any body from Hyderabad
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Jul 06, 2020 01:21am
@Fahim, How long or should I say for how many decades has PPP hijacked Karachi and Sindh politics and the overall administration of the province?
Somehow, the Karachiites expect miracles from PTI in less than 2 years despite the fact that they have been voting in PPP and MQM thugs, who have been looting the public purse for nearly 3 decades over and over?!
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Jul 06, 2020 01:24am
Some questions:
Who is the proprietor of KE?
To which political party she / he belongs?
Can't call the foreign officials for technic and management to change the method once for all or for good?
Why are the over staff in KE?
Why are the rates and charges so high without any service?
Why not allow the other electric companies for competition?
Who are beneficiaries with KE?
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Jul 06, 2020 01:26am
The other company will bring power from America or Europe? K Elect is a distribution, maintenance and partly power producing company. K Elect cannot built dam for power production, it is as simple.However you can establish new company for new district like Malir or Liyari, if anyone ready.
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Jul 06, 2020 02:09am
Is WAPDA doing a better job?
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Jul 06, 2020 03:14am
Electricity problem started when Imran government stopped import of furnace oil due to shortage of dollars.
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Jul 06, 2020 05:07am
They mean a Chinese company, PTI wants the country and its institutions sold off to Chinese one by one. KSE is sold off now they want to bring Chinese company in place of K-electric.
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Jul 06, 2020 07:17am
Minus One formula is the only answer.
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Jul 06, 2020 08:01am
High time, KE has got to go! The way PTCL will soon be history, PIA will be grounded for good, KE too needs to be served the righteous justice by the hands of time! "GO KE GO!" says I the people...
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Jul 06, 2020 09:35am
It takes time to fix decades of corruption and problems. Breaking the monopoly will help.
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Jul 06, 2020 12:04pm
Not only should this company be disbanded or changed in this era of change. Rather, something should be done to its officers whose attitude is unbearable.
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Jul 06, 2020 12:44pm
They are just staging drama as last year in summer load shedding was also the same as in this summer and their government has failed to improve the KE capacity in one year .
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