KARACHI: Taking unannounced and prolong load-shedding in the city, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah presided over an important meeting with K-Electric authorities at the CM House today and urged them not to conduct load-shedding during the timings of Sehri and Iftari.
“I want you to exempt all the pumping stations of water board from load shedding and set up a hotline with Commissioner Karachi for close coordination, “he said.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance & Energy Syed Murad Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, CEO K-Electric Tayyab Tareen, provincial Secretary Energy Agha Wasif and senior offficcers of K-Electric
The CEO KE briefed the chief minister about their Ramzan plan and assured the chief minister that no load-shedding would be conducted during Seher and Iftar in residential and commercial areas of the city. He added that unannounced load-shedding was not being carried out anywhere in the city. Additionally, strategic locations remain exempted throughout the day, including key hospitals and KWSB installations.
The KE teams are on-ground and active 24/7 and have the capability to resolve any fault or issue to provide maximum relief to the people of Karachi. The overall duration of load-shedding has been decreased.
Mr Tayyab also highlighted that there were isolated cases of tripping or faults due to overloading and kudas for which the utility is conducting rigorous anti-power theft drives in the city. The KE faces serious resistance and sometimes violent when kundas or hooks are removed.
The Chief Minister said that he had held a meeting with KWSB and KMC administration. They complained against power outage at the pumping station and sometimes fluctuation or weak voltages. In both the cases, water supply to the city is affected badly. This must be improved, he urged.
The chief minister asked the KE authorities to share load-shedding schedule with the commissioner Karachi who through his deputy commissioner would perform monitoring work so unannounced load-shedding or power outages could be controlled. He directed Commissioner Karachi to set up a hotline with KE authorities so that the issues like extra load-shedding, prolong outages and technical faults could be solved through mutual coordination.
The KE authorities told the chief minister that there was a demand of 3200 MW electricity against which total generation comes to 2700 MW. “We are putting all out efforts to overcome the shortfall and inshallah within next few years it could be done,” said Mr Tayyab
Finance and Energy Minister said that he would also be in touch with KE to resolve the issues of load-shedding.
