The Karachi Electric Supply Company has rejected the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s ‘fabricated’ allegations that the power utility is conducting load-shedding at its pumping stations and vowed not to accept the KWSB authorities’ ‘extortion tactics’.
Exposing the Board’s hidden plot by causing false media alarm, a KESC statement Friday said the actual intention behind was to extort total funding for replacement of its own faulty internal service cables at Gharo, Dhabeji and Pipri pumping stations which would cost a huge amount between Rs 40 to Rs 50 million.
KESC categorically stated that there had been no load shedding from its end at any of its pumping stations despite KWSB’s enormous billing default in excess of Rs 17 billion and the running default of over Rs 350 million current monthly bills.
The load shedding exemption to KWSB, despite its defaulting attitude is only on humanitarian grounds, said KESC.
Secondly, as a goodwill gesture the KESC had already offered to partly share the cost of KWSB’s faulty and dilapidated service cables, which often cause tripping of KESC’s feeders as well.
This too had been done in the spirit of public service benefit although the KESC was not obliged to do so.
Unfortunately, the company said, it seems the KWSB is not interested in working out a resolution rather it is keener to pursue its own nefarious interests.
This can be seen from the fact that the water board is adamant not only on defaulting on as electricity bills but is also using the media to create a false propaganda, only for the purpose of extortion, trying to coerce KESC into picking up the cost to put KWSB’s house in order.
Recently, the water board management has written a number of letters to KESC, complaining about the fabricated and fictitious ‘load shedding’ but despite KESC’s official reminders, the Board has not been able to provide any such proof.
The KESC said it was highly unprofessional of the water board to resort to such senseless blackmailing tactics and it would not accept to replace the internal faulty cables and switch gear onside the water pumping stations, since it is the ownership and responsibility solely of the water board.
The KESC said the Board needed to start paying its current bills, clear the huge backlog and replace as faulty internal service cables to perform its public interest responsibilities rather than engaging in underhand tactics.