KE team, PPP lawmakers discuss ways to address Lyari’s electricity issue

K-Electric (KE) Chief Distribution Officer Sadia Dada, along with Regional Head (Distribution) Sheikh Humayun Saghir, met with Pakistan Peoples Party Member of National Assembly from Lyari Nabeel Gabol on Thursday.

According to a press statement from the KE, the group was also joined by Member of Provincial Assembly Yousuf Baloch and other local political and community leaders.

The meeting was held as part of the committee set up by the Sindh government to address the concerns of the citizens from the area, such as the issue of loadshedding and regular payments of electricity dues.

The KE statement said that during the meeting, key matters discussed included addressing non-payment of bills and power theft, issues which are directly linked to improving the supply of electricity to Lyari.

Other strategies were deliberated upon, such as mobilising residents and commercial outlets in the area to clear their current month’s dues with support from the KE’s recovery camps, the utility’s support teams, and respective union councils.

It was agreed that a bi-monthly meeting would be scheduled to review the success of community engagement actions and strategise improvements to the area’s bill recovery indicators.

Protest against KE

Residents of Karachi’s Surjani Town and Shah Faisal Colony protested outside the KE office on Thursday.

The protest was attended by elected representatives from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), including leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi, national and provincial assembly members Asiya Ishaq, Sikandar Khatoon, Senator Khalida Ateeb and Abdullah Sheikh.

Addressing the protesters in Surjani Town, Khurshidi said that Karachi’s residents are forced to use the most expensive electricity in Pakistan, and despite the intense heat, they suffer from prolonged power outages.

“K-Electric is conducting hours-long loadshedding daily while sending hefty bills. Citizens, already burdened by inflation, are fed up with loadshedding and bogus billing,” he commented.

He accused K-Electric of provoking public backlash due to its inhumane administration. He emphasized that no power in this world can withstand the power of the people, and urged the power supply company’s management to address their grievances immediately.

Speaking at the protest in Shah Faisal Colony, MNA Asiya Ishaque alleged that K-Electric’s staff are involved in electricity theft. She called for the resignation of Moonis Alvi, saying that he cannot manage the company.

She offered the MQM-P’s readiness to manage K-Electric if Alvi could not. She demanded that the government award electricity supply contracts to additional companies in light of the KE’s “brutality”.