KESC claimes power shortage due to Rs 36 billion owed by consumers

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has been facing big a deficit of cash flow because its non-paying consumers owe it Rs 36 billion, resulting in power shortage for the city. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) is in debt of over Rs 8 billion because of which a rotational load-shedding is being carried out on 12 dedicated feeders at its water-pumping stations for four hours during the night.

This was stated by KESC Chief Operating Officer Distribution Jan Abbas Zaidi at a media briefing on Wednesday. Zaidi was accompanied by KESC Director System Engineering Jamil Gul Sheikh and KESC Director Corporate Communications Ayesha Eirabie.

Zaidi said that the KWSB consumes over Rs 250 million worth of electricity every month and it had not paid its bills for the past several years, adding that regular notices were sent and talks held, but the KESC has received no positive responses so far.

Zaidi also said that the crucial decision had to be taken whereby the KESC curbed power supply to KWSB’s pumping stations and disconnected power supply to KWSB’s head offices.

Zaidi further said that domestic consumers owed the KESC Rs 12.250 billion, commercial customers Rs 7.750 billion, industrial consumers Rs 3 billion, public sector organisations Rs 13 billion, agricultural consumers Rs 3 billion, and Rs 124 million were owed by the mosques in the city, adding that in the federal government, Utility Stores Corporation owed Rs 19,786,105, Pakistan Steel Rs 174,028,667, Karachi Port Trust Rs 12,671,233, Military Land and Cantonment Boards Rs 160,951,481, Defence Housing Authority Rs 15,232,196, Pakistan Public Works Department Rs 2.3 million, Ministry of Food and Agriculture Rs 2,251,947, Interior Ministry Rs 13,148,042 and Collector of Customs owed Rs 7.7 million, while Rs 35 million were owed by the provincial government’s departments that include Sindh Workers Welfare Board, Karachi Fish Harbour Authority, Indus Mineral Development Corporation, Khoja International Institute of Chest Diseases, Sindh Employees Social Securities Institute and Pakistan Rangers.

“A total of 7.73 million consumers did not pay their bills last month,” Zaidi disclosed, adding that the cash deficit had barred the KESC from paying its liabilities to Independent Power Plants and the utilities from which it purchases oil and gas.

Zaidi urged the consumers to conserve energy on the occasion of Eidul Fitr and refrain from using illegal connections. ppi

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