Time to review if Centre should take over KE: Asad Umar

KARACHI: The Federal Planning and Development Minister, Asad Umar, has said that a serious review should take place to determine whether the K-Electric should remain with its present private owners or else the management of the city’s power utility should be given back to the government.

The Federal Planning and Development minister stated this on Saturday after holding a meeting here with the management of the K-Electric. Asad Umar said that an amendment could be incorporated into the license of the K-Electric in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court. He said that discussion with the officials of the K-Electric was held in view of the questions and issues raised by the Supreme Court in this regard.

He said that talks were also held with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on electricity affairs of the city. He said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has decided to increase the tariff of K-Electric. He said that uniform electricity rates should be imposed in Karachi like the rest of Pakistan. Umar said that Karachi is the focus of entire Pakistan and the city didn’t want politics and only needed civic and other infrastructure work to be done.

He said that the encroachments on the drains are a major problem of Karachi for which a telephonic conversation was held with the Sindh CM. He said earlier the issues of the city could not be resolved due to a lack of mutual coordination.

The federal minister said that he was very pleased that President of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Shahbaz Sharif has become concerned for the people of Karachi as he visited the city for the first time after the last general election. “We will surely get results if we work with mutual coordination. We would welcome if the Opposition’s party is willing to work for Karachi,” he said. However, “instead of sympathising with the people of Karachi, Shahbaz went to meet Asif Zardari and left the city after doing politics,” he said. Karachi is no more interested in statements and wants to see action on the ground, he said.