Chief minister asks KE not to resort to unannounced power outages

Sindh caretaker chief minister Fazal-ur-Rehman has urged K-Electric not to resort to unannounced loadshedding in the city.

He issued these directives while presiding over a joint meeting of the KE and the government’s energy department at the CM House on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, KE Board of Directors Chairman Tayyab Tareen, KE (External Affairs) Director Asmer Naeem, Special Secretary Energy Department Rashid Kazi and Director Energy Department Tariq Shah.

The interim chief minister said that there should be an uninterrupted power supply in the city and no unannounced loadshedding should be resorted to. “Whatever the problems and issues of K-Electric are, they would be duly taken care of,” he said.

KE Chairman Tareen told the chief minister that the electricity demand of the city during the peak hours of the holy month of Ramazan rose up to 3,500 megawatts, and it was 3,200 megawatts during the Ramazan of 2017.

The chief minister was told that the Sui Southern Gas Company was providing 190 mmcfd of gas to the KE; therefore, all its gas-based power plants were operating at their full capacity. It was also pointed out that seven hours’ load-shedding was being observed in the city.

The CM said the process of the upcoming general elections was going on in full swing. He added that the election staff had also been mobilised; therefore, necessary measures should be taken to reduce loadshedding’s duration in Karachi.

Complaint cell

The caretaker chief minister visited the Election Complaint Cell newly established at the CM House and issued directives to the staff for the computerisation of the complaints and their redressal on a top priority basis.

The Election Complaint Cell has been set up at the CM House where general complaints of citizens are also received and entertained. A separate desk has been established with an officer of grade 18 to entertain complaints about the election process.

Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput briefed the chief minister about the facilities made available at the Complaint Cell. He said that all the complaints right from their receiving to disposal are recorded in the computerised system.

The CM checked the record of the complaints and their intimation to the authorities for immediate resolution. He issued directives to all departments to cooperate with the Complaint Cell for the resolution of general public’s complaints and complaints of the election process.

Complaints about the elections can be lodged on phone numbers: 021-99207349, 99207568, 99202065, 99202080, 99202081, Fax 99202000 and 99202007.