K-Electric Torments Sindhi Society Residents
Around 12 hours load shedding continues for over 8 months
Urgent Complaint Against Prolonged and Unjust Load Shedding by K-Electric in Sindhi Society, Shanti Nagar, District East, Karachi
Karachi, Sindh
The residents of Sindhi Society, Shanti Nagar, Union Council No. 7, District East Karachi have complained that the K-Electric has been tormenting them by conducting around 12 hours load shedding on daily basis for over last eight months.
The concerned residents said that they wish to bring to urgent attention of the concerned authorities the continuous and unjust load shedding being imposed by K-Electric for the past eight months. “Despite our timely payment of electricity bills and repeated efforts to engage with K-Electric and regulatory bodies, we continue to face harsh and unlawful electricity suspensions that have severely disrupted our lives,” they said.
Background of the Issue
Eight months ago, K-Electric arbitrarily initiated a 12-hour daily load shedding schedule in the area without any formal notice or justification. When the residents approached K-Electric officials, they were informed that the load shedding was being conducted due to electricity theft through illegal connections. In response, over 200 residents submitted their fully paid electricity bills to prove that they are legitimate consumers. However, their proof and pleas were blatantly ignored.
Residents’ Proactive Measures
Determined to uncover the truth, the residents, conducted independent surveys and discovered that hundreds of houses and shops in the adjacent areas had established illegal connections from the Pole Mounted Transformer (PMT) meant for Sindhi Society. “Our efforts forced K-Electric to take limited action: they disconnected a few illegal connections, yet left the majority intact. This clearly indicates selective enforcement and deliberate negligence.”
Regulatory Intervention and K-Electric’s Defiance
A formal complaint was filed with the Senior Director of the Federal Ombudsman, who, after hearing both parties, was unconvinced by K-Electric’s arguments and referred the matter to NEPRA for necessary action. NEPRA not only issued letters to K-Electric but also dispatched officials to survey the area. The findings confirmed the residents’ claims, and NEPRA directed K-Electric to:
- Disconnect all unauthorized connections from the Sindhi Society PMT.
- Install a separate PMT for the adjacent areas using stolen electricity.
To date, K-Electric has failed to act on these orders. Instead of improving the situation, they have increased the duration of load shedding, further intensifying the suffering of residents.
Current Load Shedding Schedule
As of now, K-Electric is conducting load shedding at the following times:
5:00 AM to 6:00 AM
9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
10:30 PM to 12:30 AM
Recently, an additional outage from 1:30 AM onwards has been imposed. On several occasions, residents have experienced complete power outages lasting the entire day, further evidencing the company’s high-handedness.
Corruption within K-Electric
Credible reports from within the community reveal that some K-Electric employees residing in Sindhi Society and surrounding areas are themselves engaged in facilitating power theft. They are allegedly charging Rs.2,000 per month per household from hundreds of homes, resulting in tens of thousands of rupees in illegal profits every month. This illegal activity not only causes a huge financial loss to K-Electric but also results in law-abiding, bill-paying residents bearing the burden of their corruption.
Humanitarian Concerns
This unjust load shedding in scorching summer heat has:
Adversely affected the health of children, the elderly, and sick residents; interrupted students’ studies; damaged electronic appliances due to irregular voltage and severely impacted daily life, work-from-home routines, and small businesses.
Demands
The residents demand immediate and resolute action on the following:
- Immediate restoration of uninterrupted power supply to Sindhi Society.
- Permanent disconnection of all illegal connections from the Sindhi Society PMT.
- Installation of a separate PMT for the adjacent areas involved in electricity theft.
- Internal inquiry and accountability of K-Electric staff facilitating power theft.
- Compensation or rebate for the months of unjustified load shedding for bill-paying consumers.
- Strict enforcement of NEPRA’s directives by imposing penalties on K-Electric for non-compliance.
Conclusion
The residents of Sindhi Society are law-abiding citizens who fulfill their obligations by paying electricity bills regularly. We strongly condemn K-Electric’s continued defiance of regulatory orders and unethical treatment of honest consumers. We urge NEPRA, the Federal Ombudsman, and all concerned authorities to take swift and strict action against these injustices and ensure the restoration of our right to electricity.
They requested the Chairman, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), Senior Director, Federal Ombudsman, Chief Executive Officer, K-Electric and relevant Government Authorities and Media Representatives to take the notice of the situation.
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