KARACHI: MMA flays KESC, govt over power breakdowns
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 26: The members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in the Sindh Assembly have condemned the frequent power failures and "unannounced load-shedding" in the city and said that citizens were being made to suffer enormously in hot and humid days.
In a statement, they said that no improvement could be seen in the working of the KESC and the overall power supply position even after the utility’s privatisation.
The parliamentarians said that the lives of people had been made miserable due to unannounced load-shedding. Thousands of candidates taking matriculation examinations and other students were undergoing lots of difficulties and mental torture due to the power breakdowns, while patients in hospitals were also among the affected.
They said there had been an accumulative loss of Rs3 billion due to the power failures, as industries had failed to achieve their target production while shopping centres and markets, on the other hand, also remained deserted.
They said that the federal minister for power had announced that no load-shedding would be exercised during the current year, but people were still being made to cry over the power crisis.
They said that despite the fact that people were expressing their anger and dissatisfaction over the performance of the electric corporation, the government remained unmoved and had failed to address the issue.
They warned that law and order situation could also emerge if immediate measures were not taken to overcome the ongoing power crisis.
In the meantime, the MMA's members in the national assembly, Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Abdus Sattar Afghani and Mohammd Laiq Khan, have blamed the government for increased inflation, which was largely affecting the masses.
The prices of commodities have been increased by two to three folds under the present government, while unemployment and poverty was at its worst levels, they added.
They said that the situation had become so much unfavourable for the poor and helpless people of the country that cases of self-immolation and suicides were on the rise.
They cautioned the government not to move for further increase in the prices of gas and petroleum, otherwise the MMA would strongly resist them.
Half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line, while rulers and their cronies are making all efforts to get their salaries, and perks and privileges increased further, they remarked.
They also called the huge amount being spent on the personal security of the ministers as inappropriate and condemnable.
