By By our correspondent
The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) have formed a four-member coordination committee to seek prompt solution to various matters between them and to take quick decisions.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting between Chief Executive Officer (CEO) KESC, Tabish Gauhar and City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday.
The CDGK will be represented by Managing Director (MD) Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Executive District Officer (EDO) Works & Services while the KESC will be represented by two officers who will be nominated by the Chief Executive Officer of the KESC.
The CDGK will provide all possible help to the KESC in the elimination of Kundas in the city and regularisation of consumers using Kundas.
Earlier, a delegation of the KESC led by CEO KESC called on city Nazim at his office to discuss various issues between the CDGK and the power utility.
DCO Javed Hanif Khan, MD KWSB Qutubuddin Shaikh, EDO Works & Services Rasheed Mughal and other officers were also present.
During the meeting, CEO, KESC, sought the city Nazim’s help in various matters including the elimination of illegal power connections, regularisation of citizens using electricity through Kunda and reduction in the use of electricity in terms of street lights and at pumping stations of the water board.
Kamal said that the CDGK will provide all possible help to the KESC for the elimination of the Kunda system and for the improvement of the performance of the KESC.
He said that the city government in larger interest of the citizens had allowed the KESC to dig newly constructed roads so that the electricity problems could be solved and it will continue cooperation with the KESC.
City Nazim said that timely payment of dues was a must to strengthen the organisation providing utility services, and the KWSB was making all out efforts to pay the dues of the KESC on a timely basis.
He also asked the KESC to obtain the NOC from the city government before supplying electricity to Katchi Abadis so that it could be ascertained that the habitat was a notified Katchi Abadi and not an encroachment.
Kamal said that the Banaras Chowk Flyover was the most important project of the city which would provide considerable convenience to people residing in Orangi Town and other adjacent vicinities.
Delay in shifting of electric poles was creating hurdles in the rapid completion of the project. It was decided in the meeting that the KESC will complete the work on a preferential basis while the joint committee of both organisations will conduct a study on reduction of power to street lights and pumping stations of the water board and any decision in this connection will be made after submission of the report by the committee.
Kamal asked the KESC to supply electricity to the citizens relocated from the banks of Lyari River to Baldia Town before Eid-ul-Azha. He also asked the KESC to supply electricity to 1,385 families relocated from Preedy Street to Mehmoodabad and more than seven thousand homes in Gulshan-e-Zia, Orangi Town on a preferential basis.