KARACHI: Unauthorized illuminations cost Rs120m to KESC
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 24: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation loses around Rs120 million everyday to those who have unlawfully arranged illuminations in the current month of celebrations and other such occasion as the Independence Day and the Pakistan Day.
Official sources told Dawn on Friday that the magnitude of the illuminations was hard to ascertain. “But according to some estimates, the KESC is losing between 100 to 300 megawatts daily.”
They added that if the power loss was translated into rupees, it came to Rs40 to Rs120 million.
“This calculation is worked out at the normal tariff which is around Rs5 per unit. If people involved in these lighting arrangements had asked for temporary load connections, they would have been charged around Rs9 per unit.”
Under KESC rules, the power utility provides temporary load connections to consumers who want to use extra power load for the time being. Temporary load connections are more expensive than normal load connections.
Based on this calculation, those who organized the illuminations would have had to pay at least Rs200 million everyday for temporary connection.
When asked why the KESC did not take action against this unauthorized arrangement, the power utility’s officials said that it was a very sensitive issue and the KESC was reluctant to offend the sensibilities of the people. “Besides, given the level of religious intolerance in society, action against the illuminations would be misconstrued as an attack on religious freedom. That is why the KESC is sustaining such enormous losses.”
Analysts, however, maintain that with the army in the saddle, the KESC should take action against those who have unlawfully arranged such illuminations.
The KESC officials pointed out that such large-scale power pilferage would greatly increase the overall transmission and distribution losses of the power utility which it has been trying to curtail for quite some time.
In a report, the auditors of the KESC say: “The transmission and distribution losses are approximately 36.8 per cent of the total electricity generated in 2001. One of the factors attributable to these losses is the alleged theft of electricity which has directly affected the profitability of the corporation. These factors, if controlled more effectively, may enable the corporation to minimize its overall losses. The amount of theft, however, remains indeterminate.”
The KESC officials say that under the guidelines of the auditors, the army personnel in the power utility, as well as the army-monitoring teams, have been making concerted efforts to reduce losses.
“The transmission and distribution losses of the KESC stood at 40.23 in the year 1999-2000. The army-run administration of the KESC brought the transmission and distribution losses to 36.81 per cent in 2000-1.”
They, however, admit that taking action against religious parties for indulging in large-scale power pilferage would be very difficult.
