SHC seeks comments over ‘cheap’ privatisation of KESC, ‘fake’ load shedding

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The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices on Wednesday to federal and provincial governments, the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) managing director (MD), National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and City District Government Karachi (CDGK), seeking their explanations over the privatisation of KESC and unannounced load shedding in Karachi.
Mentioning that the KESC was privatised for only Rs 16 billion and its new owner’s took Rs 100 billion loans from finance institutions by mortgaging the KESC assets, the plaintiff had accused the government for causing huge financial losses to the national exchequer by privatising the KESC, as it was handed over to the private sector at a very low price. The petitioner also asserted that there was no real reason behind unannounced load shedding and disruption of electricity supply, as the KESC has adequate resources of producing electrical energy.
The SHC division bench, comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, summoned the respondents on the constitutional petition filed by United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan general secretary Rana Faizul Hassan, pleading to make the report regarding KESC’s privatisation public and stop unannounced power load shedding.
In his preliminary arguments, the petitioner submitted that the government authorities concerned must be held accountable as they had been found involved in mismanagement over privatising the KESC and prolonged load shedding in the metropolis.
After hearing his arguments, the court directed the respondents to submit their comments in the next hearing, which will be fixed later by the court’s office.
The appellant had submitted that the citizens have been suffering from unannounced power load shedding and poor performance of the company, and have been facing more than 12 hours of load shedding daily but there was no body to reprimand the KESC.
He stated that on June 3, KESC’s labour union Mazdoor Ittihad gave a strike call against KESC higher management that was also supported by various political and non-political parties. As many as six people were killed during the strike; twelve vehicles were torched while many other public properties were damaged in different areas. “Neither any proper action was taken against the culprits nor the victims given any compensation,” he stated.
Citing federal privatisation ministry, KESC, NEPRA, OGRA, Sindh chief secretary and Karachi administrator as respondents, the petitioner pleaded that the court directs the respondents to produce the Privatisation Commission’s report on KESC’s privatisation and the sale agreement to ascertain why the company was sold on such cheap rates.
He also prayed that the power utility be directed to end load shedding and maximise its efforts for resolving the issue in the city while the families of the victims, who lost their lives during the strike given by the KESC’s union, be compensated accordingly.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Kalabagh Dam a need of Citizens of Karachi.

    The Problems:
    As Electricity has become major source of energy and has very great effect on human life, life is almost impossible without it in the city like Karachi, as Karachi is the major source of Pakistan’s stock exchange, without electricity we not only can progress but also it would be reason of our downfall.
    The Karachi markets are now using generators, batteries and UPS, when there is no electricity in the markets people find it very uncomfortable and difficult even to breathe. And people sit there in the burning and harming environment. One can easily imagine how much it is harmful for physical and mental health of people.

    • Children weeps in the night due to high temperature in absence of electricity and mosquitoes bite due to outage of electricity, and deaths due to cases of malaria and dengue fever are now common and so many people have died due to such cases, but ethnic and cruel politicians of Sindh, Pukhtoon Khwa and MQM do not have any mercy for them.

    • Students can not study in night due to outage of electricity and their performance is very much affected by the load shedding, but ethnic and cruel politicians of Sind, Pukhtoonkhwa and MQM do not have any mercy for them.

    • Industry can not run without electricity.
    • Machinery can not run without electricity.
    • Surgeons can not operate without electricity.
    • A patient on life machine can not survive without electricity.
    • Even in agriculture we can not use Tube well without electricity.
    • Fertilizer can not be manufactured without electricity.
    • Pesticide can not be manufactured without electricity.
    • Sugar Mills, Cotton Mills, Textiles Mills. Flour Mills, Rice Mills can not run without electricity.
    Above points clearly indicates that use of water for generation of electricity is 1000 times better than wastage of water on land or in sea for few feudals, because water wasted in land or sea is not recoverable but water use for generation of electricity in Kalabagh Dam will be available for use for agriculture and Industry as it was suitable before generation of electricity and there will be no wastage of water.

    The Promises:
    The people of Karachi are given dates on dates by different politicians. Our politicians come before seventeen crores public of Pakistan and there these people with loud voices make new promises. We people wait for that promise but at last promises don’t be any more and few days later another politician comes and a new promise is made. We people of Karachi just can do one thing and that is just listen to their promises and that is what we are doing for few years.
    Now recently the President of Pakistan said that we people would not have load shedding any more from the last December , that December and almost half year have gone, the people of Karachi are facing the same problem but infact load shedding has become worst.
    Sindh,Balochistan and Frontier are against Kalabagh.
    Because as per Sindh LOGIC Thar Coal is better than Kalabagh as Kalabagh will emit BLACK SMOKE and Thar Coal will emit fresh air full of Oxygen.
    And as per Balouchistan Vision GAS and coal extracted from Balouchistan are one of the most clean source of energy and Kalabagh will pollute air and land resources and people will drown in Kalabagh and no one is dying in the coal mines of Balochistan.
    And as per Pukhtoon Khwa wisdom, Royalty of Tarbella is so important that Pakistan can be broken for that and three rivers of Punjab can be sold to India by General Ayoub belonging from frontier for Construction of Tarbella in Frontier but Kalabgh dam is not good looking as it is in Punjab.
    All provinces want Provincial autonomy but Punjab should open or close its canals, IIRIGATE ITS LAND AND construct Dams as per desire of other provinces and after asking from other provinces Because it is necessary for unity and prosperity of Pakistan as when there will be no agriculture, no electricity and no water then Pakistan will be more united and more prosperous.
    From all above points it is clear that Puktoon Khwa , Sindh and MQM who are opposing the generation of electricity and preservation and safe storage of water in Kalabagh dam are criminals of humanity as well as of World and politicians of these provinces are mainly responsible for shortage of electricity in the country and cities.
    Written By:M.AKRAM KHAN NIAZI.
    Karachi,Pakistan

  2. Kalabagh Dam a need of Citizens of Karachi.

    Karachi a city where life has become miserable and painful due to shortage of electricity.

    Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan; but from last few years it has been the victim of chronic LOAD Shedding and shortage of electricity. As Karachi is known as the city of lights but due to shortage of electricity the city does not has that feature any more. We call ourselves as the Nuclear power but even then we don’t have Electricity.
    Disease of Provincialism in Politicians of MQM, Pukhtoon Khwa and Sindh is mainly responsible for power shortage mayhem and the resultant chaos in the society due to tormenting blackouts and long power outrages.

    Kalabagh and other dams versus other sources of Electricity.

    Kalabagh Dam:
    •Kalabagh and other dams are the only source of cheap electricity in Pakistan. Environment friendly Kalabagh will not only store water for the cultivation of land , but also will produce clean energy without carbon emission, by that electricity it will be possible to pump out under ground water which will also increase water resources and will store water for cultivation of land, Kalabagh Dam will increase wet land for fisheries, will increase green land which will be helpful in decreasing environmental carbon dioxide produce by coal and other fuels and will control flooding and erosion of land and will save lives and lands of people.

    Gas and Oil are not available.
    Because there is acute shortage of oil and gas in the country and due to high prices in the international markets it is not feasible to use these fuels for production of cheap electricity.

    Coal a source of Death.
    While it is very dangerous to use coal for generating electricity due to polluting effects of coal on atmosphere air, water and land resources, as it causes respiratory diseases including asthma and bronchitis, heart diseases and is the main source of global warming, and environmental pollution. It is also very costly from mining to processing and mining of even 10 Kg of hard stone like coal from earth is very energy and labor consuming, and is responsible for deaths of thousands of miners and common people due to environmental pollution in the world each year.
    Solar Energy and Wind Energy are not reliable and dependable sources of Electricity.
    It is also not possible to make electricity in sufficient amount through sunlight as in night and in early in the evening and morning the sunlight is not available, similarly through Wind energy it is also not possible to produce energy in sufficient amount as it continuously changes its direction and speed and some time there is totally no flow of air.
    Therefore Kalabagh and other dams are the only source of cheap electricity in Pakistan

    Importance of Electricity versus Wastage of Water for Feudals.
    Why opposition on generation of electricity by Kalabagh Dam in which no water is wasted but provides option of safe storage of water for future use. Electricity is the need of each and every minute and moment of human life, people can not tolerate outage of electricity for one hour while agriculture land can tolerate need of water even many weeks, but why importance to agriculture of few feudals and no importance to electricity which is the need of each and every citizens of Pakistan generally and Karachi specially, because life of all citizens of Karachi (city of lights and Industry) revolves around provision of cheap electricity.

    Written By:M.AKRAM KHAN NIAZI.
    Karachi,Pakistan

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