KARACHI, April 29: The army-run management of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation will decide on Saturday whether it is about time it announces that load-shedding is being carried out in the city.
Sources close to the decision-making circles at the KESC told Dawn on Friday that a high-level meeting would be held on Saturday in which the management would figure out how to stabilize electricity supply to the city in spite of a power shortage.
“It will also be decided whether the KESC should carry out load-shedding because the shortage of electricity is not going to be overcome any time soon,” they said.
Meanwhile, many city areas remained in the grip of prolonged power breakdowns on Friday as the KESC consumers said they had reasons to believe that the power utility was carrying out unannounced load-shedding.
“Our locality remained without electricity for three hours in the morning,” said a resident of the Federal B Area, Block 15, adding that morning power breakdowns were a regular feature.
“Every time I call the regional complaint centre I am told that the KESC staff is under orders to switch off power supply to the Federal B Area in the morning to overcome a power crisis. But what beats me is that the KESC does not announce officially that it is carrying out load-shedding,” he said.
A resident of Pak Colony said his locality, as well as adjoining areas, remained without electricity the previous night. “We are all law-abiding citizens in this locality, but experience tells us that it is only when we take to the streets in protest against prolonged power breakdowns that the staff of the regional complaint centre works efficiently,” he said.
A resident of Lyari called to say that intermittent power breakdowns in the early hours of Friday had spoiled their sleep the previous night.
Other areas which suffered power breakdowns on Friday included Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Dhoraji Colony, Malir Cant, Airport, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Defence, Shah Faisal Colony, Clifton and Gizri.
