THIS is with reference to the report “‘Under-fire’ KE chief dares govt to manage power supply on its own” (Sept 20), according to which the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of K-Electric (KE), Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi, rather arrogantly dared the elected representatives of Sindh Assembly to send the KE packing and see the consequences.

How about the parliamentarians putting their foot down, asking the KE board to sack the CEO? The chief of an entity that is no icon of efficiency has no right to talk tough. Besides, one needs a certain temperament for heading a public utility organisation.

As for KE’s incompetence, things are so bad that I find it appropriate to appeal to all public-spirited information technology (IT) professionals to help KE overcome lack of training, or incompetence, in integrating its new wireless-powered smart consumer meters with its newly-acquired data management system. Only after such help will victims like myself get delivered from the agony of not receiving the monthly bill for the last six months.

In today’s world, even non-technical housewives are using couple of mobile apps, like examining records of their home security cameras, or energy performance of solar panels on rooftops, by fetching data from servers in the cloud to their phones and computers. But the KE staff has been trying to learn, and failing, how to make this system work.

It is a master stroke of mismanagement when, with the existing pathetic skills capital, the KE opted to buy and install these smart meters, called Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), without learning the skill of commissioning and integrating these meters with its Meter Data Management System (MDMS).

After the last proper bill in April, the KE, on its own installed its new wireless-powered meter outside the gate of my house. To my horror, I discovered that, as per printed matter on the very meter, the KE had purchased cheap indoor quality meters, and was fixing it outdoors. Previously, the meter at my house thus installed had got burnt in rains, and the KE had said that it was replacing it on its own account, but then included the cost of replacement in the next bill.

I am an octogenarian, but have still visited the KE customer care centre in Phase II of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). It is useless. I have also sent five reminders on email, only to receive sto-newalling lollypops.

For the technically uninitiated it must be a puzzle and torture. But, with my technical background, I know where the KE is really stuck. It does not have comp-etent staff to do even simple work of commissioning and integrating the AMI with MDMS. In fat, network integration falls under IT skills.

Besides, the KE staff’s bluffing is enra-ging. They lie through their teeth, prese-nting false assurances, such as, ‘bills are under preparation’. I wonder what the relevant authorities have done so far to keep track of KE’s incompetence.

Abdul Qadeer Malik
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2024