KARACHI, Jan 5: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation has come up with another plan to punish common consumers for the sins of those who pilfer power.

A press release issued by the KESC on Saturday says that after a complete survey of the city distribution network, KESC engineers have identified and listed nearly 70 out of the 781 power supply feeders and 23 out of the 51 grid stations which are supplying power to areas and are infested with illegal kunda connections. Utility bill payment by registered consumers is also negligible in these areas.

The press release quotes a KESC spokesman as saying that in case the power utility faces difficulty regarding power supply to the city, power shortage will be met by first switching off the identified defaulting areas and if there is a need for curtailing energy supplies further, only then loadshedding will be carried out in the remaining areas.

The KESC spokesman does not mention why the 550-strong army- monitoring teams have failed to check the menace of power pilferage in the city. He also does not explain that if the army- monitoring teams have failed to recover dues from those power thieves whose areas have been identified by the KESC engineers, what is the point in keeping the army in the KESC.

The press release adds that at the moment the KESC is facing a power shortage of 100-1500 MW during evening peak hours from 6pm till midnight because of the sudden closure of KANUPP, restriction of up to 200MW power from the Water and Power Development Authority and the closure of two units at the Bin Qasim power station for maintenance.

Sources at the Bin Qasim Power Plant told Dawn that the KESC should have made arrangements for more power supply in advance as the generating units needed overhauling after a certain interval of time. “The generating units did not break down out of the blue. The KESC should have anticipated this problem,” they added.

The identified grid stations and feeders, which will be switched off in rotation during the evening hours for 60 to 90 minutes are: Airport grid — feeders: Small Industries, Sadat Colony, Abbass Bawazir, Drigh Road-C, S.M. Sadiq and Shoukat Umer; Baldia grid — feeders: Mominabad, Haryana Colony, Qatar, Tauheed Colony, Alif Laila, PTC, Saeedabad, Jam Sahib, Afridi Colony, Sindh Constabulary, Suparco, Pakistan Bazar, Northern Electric, Eidgah; Baloch grid — feeders: Rehman Colony RMU, Eidgah Chowk RMU; CAA grid — feeders: Degree Science College; Civic Centre grid — feeders: Martin Qrts, Noble Heights, Aminabad; Clifton grid — feeders: KDA Flats, Elander Road-Feeder; Mehrab Khan, Jacob Lines grid — feeders: Jacob Lines Complex I & II; KDA Scheme-33 grid — feeder: Hadiabad, Karachi Export Processing Zone Grid-Feeders: Majeed Colony, Labour Flats, KMC Abattoir; Korangi Town grid — feeders, 33-E, 1-Area, K. Rehman, 35 B, Jinnah House, Pole 56 RMU, Ali Ice, G-Area & Parco II; Korangi East grid — feeders: D-Area, 37A RMU, Roti Plant & RCD, Darul Uloom & Boots; Landhi grid — feeders: Aftab Flour, Social Sec, Sherpao RMU; Lyari grid — feeders: Lyari No. 3, Lyari Ice, Naval Flats, Crown Cinema; Malir grid — feeders: Hingoro Goth, Nafees Cinema, MES 105 & Kauser Town; Mauriput grid — feeder: Pak Marine Academy; North Karachi grid — feeders: Haraqaba Hall, Surjani Town; Old Town grid — feeders: Old Town RMU-2, Lea Market & NED Sub Station, Pritam Das, Noorani Apartments, Bengal Oil, Lawrence Apartments,; Oprangi Grid-Feeders: Chandni Chowk, Nishan-e-Haider, Kaleem Industries, German School; Queens Road Grid-Feeders: Haji Camp & Hijrat Colony, Risala Police, New Kumharwara, Harding Bridge, Valika Grid-Feeders: Shakar View & Qasba, White Flower; RECP Grid-Feeders: Gulshan-e-Hadeed 1 & 6; West Wharf Grid-Feeder: Okhai Memon & Denso Road.