Karachi Electric Supply Company has shifted away its operations and maintenance services from BOC Shamsi, Shah Faisal Colony, following a series of attacks and threats from unruly mobsters who made it impossible for the employees to function. BOC Shamsi has temporarily been closed after an incident of captivity of a maintenance team at the hands of mobsters.
Latest incident of the string occurred late night a few days ago when a group of drunken armed hooligans took a field staff team of KESC as hostage on gunpoint and physically tortured them after querying their ethnic background. Karkun Naveed Tariq was badly injured as a result while Lineman M Akbar, Karkun Niaz and PTN driver Asad also received injuries. The attackers snatched safety gear and helmets of the team members. The hostages and their belongings were later recovered with the help of local notables.
The staff of BOC Shamsi would temporarily operate from nearby offices of the utility till a new office is established at a safer location. There have been several incidents of attacks and threats at BOC Shamsi in the recent past, most important being senseless firing in front of the office on June 26 in which a PTN driver Mr. Aman Baloch was killed and lineman Nasir Abbas was badly hurt.
KESC said that such incidents were evident of the fact that local authorities and law enforcement agencies need to ensure and take action for provision of adequate security to the utility’s employees and assets. KESC demanded of the Government to take immediate action to preempt such incidents which can create a hinderance in the repair and maintenance work and even the smooth supply of electricity in the City and ensure provision of security to KESC installations and personnel who are on work in sensitive areas of the metropolis.
Karachi University to get girls hostel: A girls youth hostel will be constructed at the Karachi University Campus. This was stated by the Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs, Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari, here on Wednesday. He said that the 20-room facility would be completed in three months at a cost of Rs. 25.25 million.
The Sindh Department of Youth Affairs and the University of Karachi initiated the project. Subzwari said that the hostel would provide residential facility to female students belonging to far-flung areas. The Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qaiser, Sindh secretary Youth Affairs, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Prof. Dr. Shahana Urooj Kazmi, a senior faculty member of Karachi University, and Director Youth Affairs Sindh, Khurshid Ali Sheikh, were also present on the occasion.
Nargis Latif for recycling waste: Nargis Latif, chief of Gul Bahao, a non-governmental organization (NGO) has called for proper waste management in order to utilize it for economical gain as well as the maintenance of cleanliness.
Latif was speaking at a workshop organized here, said a statement on Wednesday. On the occasion, she also apprised the attendees of the research work carried out by Gul Bahao and explained the term `Garbage is Gold’.
She maintained that Gul Bahao’s projects related to waste management are not only simple and affordable but they also address the issues in their totality. Nargis was of the view that in order to tackle the issue of waste control, managing municipal and industrial waste was the only solution. This, she added, would also improve our economy and adding richness to our lives.
