The Senate Standing Committee on the Rules of Procedures and Privileges on Monday summoned the minister, the secretary of the Ministry of Water and Power and regulators along with all the record of correspondence between the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and the Ministry regarding recruitment, retirement and payments to the KESC employees.
The privilege motion was moved by Senator Shahi Sayed in February 2013. The committee directed the KESC to send comprehensive answer regarding the breach of privilege.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Senate Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and was attended by Senators Saeed Ghani, Sardar Yaqoob Khan, Attaur Rehman, Azam Swati and Shahi Sayed as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Water and Power.
On the privilege motion of Shahi Sayed, Dr Jehanzeb said that the committee will look into the matter between Ministry of Water and Power and the KESC, adding that the KESC is an independent institution but it should respond to the committee.
The chairman said that the KESC and other stakeholders should answer to the committee in detail in the upcoming meeting.
Shahi Sayed said that the KESC should inform the committee about the details of employees who were sent home and how much money had been paid.
He said that the cases of terrorism had been registered against the employees who had served 30 to 35 years, adding that he would raise the mater in the Senate again.
The senator said that the KESC has become a white elephant producing no more than 650 MW of electricity.
Saeed Ghani said that the government office was bound to respond to the parliament and strict action could be taken if they were not provided with the required information.
He said that the KESC is answerable to the committee despite the privatisation and is not above the law, parliament and the constitution.
Additional secretary of the Ministry of Water and Power informed the committee that he had written letters to the KESC since 2012 for providing information but no answer had been received yet.
“It is astonishing because the ministry is not regulator. That responsibility belongs to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). Agreements with the PPA and IAA have expired,” he said.
Senator Saeed Ghani said the government has 23 per cent share in the KESC. Sardar Yaqoob Nasir stressed the need for better solution in consensus with all the stakeholders.
