K-Electric (KE) has strongly condemned a protest demonstration staged outside its IBC Nazimabad on Wednesday, where 300 residents of Mujahid Colony blocked roads and demanded the restoration of electricity despite the non-payment of over Rs77 million in dues.
The power utility said in a press statement that it had repeatedly organised camps in the area to facilitate consumers in clearing their dues by offering installments on their outstanding amounts but had not received a positive response from the community, who continued to default.
“As of now, only 46 of 261 defaulters have made minimum payments against their outstanding amounts. The cumulative loss is not only damaging the profile of the area, it is also preventing the utility from providing consistent and reliable supply of power.”
An official spokesperson for the KE said, “KE is committed to supporting its customers, but we can only be successful if our consumers reciprocate our efforts. Under the National Power Policy, DISCOs across the country conduct load-shed in accordance with the ratio of electricity theft and bill recovery in an area, and KE also complies with the same framework.
“We have been urging the residents of Mujahid Colony to cooperate with the power utility to achieve a resolution to the issue. However, the company also reserves the right to take action against those individuals who resort to damaging KE’s infrastructure and threatening its staff.” With a customer-centric attitude to business, said the statement, “KE has been investing heavily in uplifting communities and driving an improvement in its business operations”.
“Project Sarbulandi is one such initiative launched by KE under which a PKR 10 billion investment is being made across the 12 most densely populated areas of Karachi; Nazimabad is included in this list. With the support of community representatives, the company has been installing Aerial Bundled Cables and upgrading its infrastructure.
“With demonstrable examples, this collaboration has enabled areas of Karachi to reduce their loss profile. As a result, load-shed duration in these communities has seen a reduction from 7.5 hours to 3 hours or below. Some areas have also become exempt from load-shed, adding them to the 75% of Karachi which is receiving an uninterrupted supply of power.”