SHC directs KE to submit its action plan during heatwave

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed the K-Electric (KE) to file details of its action regarding the heatwaves and explain what social corporate responsibilities were discharged by it in the looming heatwaves.

The direction came on a petition filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Thursday against frequent load-shedding in Karachi. The petitioner’s counsel, Usman Farooq, submitted that the KE was the largest power utility service provider in the city and it was also responsible for maintaining transmission lines in the city but it was not carrying out its responsibilities as citizens of Karachi had been suffering frequent load-shedding.

He submitted that electricity consumers in Karachi had to bear long hours of unannounced power cuts particularly in the sizzling heat of the summer season. The counsel submitted that a large number of people had lost their lives due to heatwaves and one of the reasons for the deaths was disruptions in the power supply as no extraordinary steps had been taken by the KE when the heatwave was pre-notified.

Abid Zuberi, counsel for the power utility, waived notice on the petition and claimed its copy. He said no load-shedding was being carried out in the city. He, however, sought time to file details of the action plan implemented by the KE during the heatwave and apprise the court regarding the social corporate responsibility actions discharged by the KE during heatwaves.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan observed that the situation of Karachi during the heatwave was serious. The SHC directed the KE to submit its action plan as well as corporate social responsibility actions during the heat wave by July 15.

The petition was filed by Karachi JI Emir Munem Zafar and the leader of the opposition in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation City Council, Saifuddin Advocate, who stated that the KE had been carrying out load-shedding for an average duration of 10 to 16 hours daily in different localities on the pretext of losses attributed to power theft and this practice had severely affected the quality of life of the citizens.

They submitted that the load-shedding situation in Karachi was alarming in the heatwave scenario as hundreds of people were being hospitalised while many citizens had lost their lives due to extreme hot weather in the city in last couple of weeks.

The JI leaders said that as per the KE, of the 2,109 feeders in Karachi, 1,500 faced no load-shedding, while others were subjected to load-shedding according to their loss rates, which meant that 71 per cent of the feeders had no load-shedding.

They submitted that the KE’s claim that high-loss areas in Karachi faced up to 7.5 hours of load-shedding when energy demand was at its peak and low-loss areas faced no load-shedding was incorrect.

They submitted that the KMC City Council had unanimously passed a resolution condemning the KE's failure to provide uninterrupted electricity supply, especially during heatwave and the resolution called on the KE to immediately upgrade its infrastructure and generation capacity to meet Karachi's electricity demand and prevent further loss of life due to power outages.

They submitted that the continuous load-shedding and power outages were causing severe hardship and distress to the residents of Karachi, affecting their health, safety and overall quality of life, and also causing significant economic losses to them.

The high court was requested to direct the KE to immediately halt the practice of load-shedding and adhere to Nepra Performance Standards Rules and Nepra Fine Regulations. The petitioners requested the SHC to direct the KE to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to finish load-shedding, including measures to curb power theft and improve infrastructure as soon as possible.