First of all let me share my astonishment over the campaign for recovery of dues from the citizens of Karachi through advertisements and SMS by the KESC starting on a day when the target killing had already had a count of more than 16 for that particular day and total for the week had surpassed the figure of 100. The issue was mostly “bhatta” collection and jurisdiction of areas where which party can do that.
During those days we were not impressing upon our employees to come to office if situation of their areas was not peaceful and advising them, their relatives and friends to stay at their homes. The shopkeepers were receiving a message on a paper about the sum to be submitted to their area representative or wait for a bullet.
Almost similar messages were sent by KESC through ads and SMS to consumers. Bad timing KESC, really bad. Responsible corporations give extra time in these circumstances to consumers as they were not even able to go to ATMs during those days, let alone stand in queues to submit the bills.
I wonder if someone at KESC was concerned about the city situation.
Secondly, this is to request you to please help us understand this strange philosophy of low loss or high loss area according to which you design loadshedding timings and patterns. If I pay bills regularly should I be punished for my neighbour’s negligence of not doing the same? I happen to have suffered 3-6 hours regular loadshedding even during winters which later I found out was due to high loss area. Please advise if I should go to all the 300 houses and ask them to pay regularly or start myself some “kunda” or other innovation.
Surprisingly even the Governor Sindh was misled by KESC management who addressed a press conference after a meeting and said that low loss areas will not suffer from loadshedding. I wonder if the Governor himself could explain or advise us “the timely bill payers” what to do.
SALEEM MAHMOOD
Karachi
