KARACHI, May 25: President General Pervez Musharraf while expressing concern over simmering power crisis in Karachi has directed the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, to take immediate steps to solve the problem.

Presiding over a meeting held at Chief Minister’s House, President Musharraf noted that the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) did not keep the promises it had made with citizens. He directed the minister to sort out some immediate solution of the problem.

As mercury touched 39.5 degrees centigrade on Friday, the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation resorted to load-shedding for two hours each at least five times.

Despite the induction of new head of KESC operations, the utility failed to improve generation and transmission capability and continued with load-shedding to the tune of 350MW in total disregard to plight of people.

Each time when people asked KESC officials about the cause of power cuts, they were told that perhaps a feeder had tripped. But, the utility was unable to tell how many of its 939 feeders tripped and how many were closed for load-shedding.

Insiders said the feeders had been divided in three groups. One group is generally not closed because of essential services. The industrial group is also exempted from load-shedding. The remaining 600 feeders have been divided into four groups which are subjected to load-shedding.

Line losses could not be brought down to 24 per cent as envisaged in the FIP, sources said adding that at present line losses are nearly 35 per cent.

Meanwhile, insiders disputed Siemens claims that it had established 18 grid stations and recently won additional prestigious contracts. They said that Siemens was given a contract for 14 grid stations but later on it was cancelled and given to Asea Brown Boveri.

Under the Financial Improvement Programme worth Rs13.5 billion, 12 grid stations were planned to be built by April 2007. Only one of the old grid stations at Mauripur had been revamped and commissioned while work on the other two was in progress. The KESC had not yet acquired land for the remaining nine grid stations, they said.

It may be pointed out that the KESC had signed a contract for the construction of prefabricated grid stations on Nov 22, 2006 to improve power transmission and distribution capacity. The prefabricated grids were planned at Pakistan Refinery Ltd, Korangi South, Gulshan-i-Maymar, near FTC, Azizabad, Jail Road, Memon Goth, Malir, Tipu Sultan Road and near airport. But the manner in which load-shedding is being resorted to indicate that these prefabricated units were not in place.

They also disputed Siemens claim of a complete refurbishment of Bin Qasim power station and additional production of 300MW saying the Bin Qasim power station is still not fully operational.

Meanwhile, the privatized management, on the advice of the experts inducted by Siemens, was also following the footsteps of the military-led state-owned KESC management in sanctioning load, without improving the transmission and distribution system, said the sources.

They pointed out that a combing operation was mounted by the military-led management and extra load was sanctioned for Rs6,500 per KV (including Rs3,000 as security deposit). Approximately Rs14 billion were collected on the pretext of development work and about Rs600 million to Rs700 million were collected as commission for enhancing KESC’s revenue, but it was not reflected in terms of system improvement.

Instead of any improvement, such measures resulted in closure of 25 per cent of the small industries. The persisting situation was forcing closure of business and industry to the detriment of the country’s interest.