KARACHI, Aug 8: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation announced on Thursday that the power utility would not carry out loadshedding because work on KESC-Wapda circuit had been completed, says a press release.

The press release, quoting a KESC spokesman, says that the KESC acquires 400-500 megawatts power form the Water and Power Development Authority to meet the total city requirement of 1,850 megawatts. “One of the circuits with capability of providing 250 megawatts was under maintenance and Karachi being an energy deficient area was facing power shortage which was being overcome through loadshedding.”

Meanwhile, the city continued to face power shutdowns as many areas remained without electricity.

Calling from North Karachi, Sector 11-A, a teacher said that the KESC could not shrug off the blame for loadshedding by saying that because Wapda was not providing enough power, it was carrying out loadshedding. “It is the KESC’s responsibility to generate as much electricity as required by its 1.7 million consumers. If the KESC cannot do that efficiently, it should refrain from putting the blame on others.”

Coming to the point, the resident said that the reason why he was so angry with the KESC was that his locality faced long spells of power shutdowns.

Calling from Federal B Area, Block 19, a resident said that it was beyond him why the KESC was not doing anything to put a stop to power breakdowns in his locality despite the fact that he had informed the complaint centre several times. “I visited the complaint centre at least three times over the past two weeks and told them that our locality experienced long spells of power breakdown, especially at night. My complaint seemed to have fallen flat on them.”

A KESC consumer calling from the industrial area in Federal b Area, Blocks 21 and 22, said that there had been three cable faults in these areas, thus bringing the industrial activity in these block to a halt.

WAPDA REACTION: A press release issued by Wapda says that technical fault on KDA-Jamshoro circuit 1 was temporary and the circuit was energized immediately. “As a matter of fact, the KESC has problem on its KDA 33 grid station since July 23 and wanted to shift Jamshoro circuit 1 to another bay of Pipri West circuit which involves some modifications. Wapda was requested on Aug 5 through deputy chief engineer grid and transmission letter no DCE (GT)/ F-35/2002/198 for permission which was granted immediately by chief engineer, National Power Control Centre, Wapda.