The situation of electricity in Karachi has been alarming from the last several years. The shortfall in electricity has not only impacted the business activities but the domestic lives as well; students and patients are the most affected ones in this regard.
Usually power utility is blamed for load shedding and power suspension; however, consumers are also equally involved behind prolong load-shedding and unusual power suspension who are involved in power theft and non-payments of bills. Most of the times, electrical equipment used in houses including heaters, geysers, irons and water motors further boost the power consumption and ultimately display an unusual increase in billing. In order to avoid the escalated electricity bill, consumers resort to illegal hook connections. With the illegal usage of electricity, the power utility fails to plan accordingly and hence the incidents of broken electrical wires or PMT fault increase due to overloading which trouble the citizenry in the form of prolong power suspension in the related area. It is clear that staff of power utility cannot reach immediately to rectify this fault and because of this delay the load shedding duration prolongs.
Power theft is a crime and those who connect illegal hooks should be punished. Kunda connection might be beneficial for those who connect these kundas but we the honest consumers of this city have to bear the brunt of high tariffs and inadequate supply of electricity.The launch of Operation Burq by K-Electric has instilled hope among the Karachiites, especially the bill paying consumers who have suffered a lot at the hands of these defaulters. I am optimistic that through this initiative we will finally achieve some respite from severe load shedding.
MADIHA AKHTAR
Karachi