Govt gives 10-day ultimatum to KE to resolve Karachi's power issues

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Sindh governor meets Energy Minister Hammad Azhar.
Govt warns KE of "extreme step" if Karachi's issues aren't resolved.
Energy minister allows 400 megawatts to be supplied to KE's system from national grid.

KARACHI: The federal government has issued a dire warning to the Karachi-Electric (KE) to resolve the power woes of the city, warning it of an "extreme step" otherwise.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail called on Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar on Wednesday to discuss prolonged hours of loadshedding in Karachi.

Federal secretaries of finance and energy attended the meeting as well, according to a press release issued by the Governor House.

Giving the KE a 10-day ultimatum to resolve Karachi's power issues, the meeting warned that the federal government would be left with no option but to take an "extreme step" in case the lives of the people of Karachi continued to remain disturbed due to prolonged power cuts.

The energy minister decided to allow 400 megawatts to be supplied to KE's system from the national grid, the governor mentioned after the meeting.

On Tuesday, the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter had set a three-day deadline for the KE over prolonged power outages in the city amid the sweltering heat in the city.

“After the deadline, in case the KE fails to rectify its mistake, protests across the city will be held under a coordinated protest drive against the nexus of the government, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, and the KE,” JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman had warned, while addressing a press conference at Idara-e-Noor Haq.

Among some of the areas that have faced loadshedding and prolonged power cuts last week are:

Korangi’s Gulshan-e-Millat and Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block I. Moreover, a vast area of District Korangi was without power in the wee hours of Saturday as well.

Residents of North Karachi and Surjani Town have also complained of frequent power outages over the past couple of days.

In Karachi’s Azam Basti, residents complained of not having power for more than five hours during the early hours of Saturday.

Other areas that suffered prolonged power outages last week included Gulshan-e-Maymar, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Saddar, Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Iqbal.