KARACHI: KESC makes 500 traders suffer for default of 84
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 24: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation penalizes 500 shop owners of the Latif Cloth Market for the fault of 84 defaulters.
A KESC recovery team disconnected the power supply of about 500 shops of the 109-year-old Latif Cloth Market on M.A. Jinnah Road on Tuesday because 84 shop owners owe around Rs2 million to the power utility. These outstanding dues have accumulated over the past 10 years.
The vice-president of the Latif Cloth Market Association, Zulfiqar Ahmed Shaikh, said the KESC should have tracked down the defaulters and cut off only their power supply. “All shops in the Latif Cloth Market have separate electric meters. The KESC could have easily found out who the defaulters are. It could have disconnected only their power supply. Instead, it chose to penalize all the 500 traders of cloth and yarn for the fault of 84 defaulters.”
The attorney of the building’s landlord, Madood Ahmed, admitted that the electricity connections in the building were old and complex. “After all, the building was constructed in 1893. It was the first cloth market of the subcontinent. We assured the KESC that we would help them identify the defaulters. But they chose to cut off the power supply of all the 500 shop owners.”
A yarn merchant in the Latif Cloth Market, who did not want to be named, said that he used to receive wrong monthly bills from the KESC. “I have an air-conditioned office with some furniture and a telephone set. That is enough for the business I have because we mostly have verbal contracts over the phone. My monthly power bill used to come to Rs40,000 a month. I went to the KESC office of my area at least seven times but nobody helped me rectify the bill. Now, I am a businessman. I cannot spend a lot
