KARACHI, May 15: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has shut down one of its six power generation units at Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plant on Monday, and resorted to group-wise power loadshedding across the city.
The power generation unit had leaked hydrogen gas in the morning and the power utility had no choice but to close down the unit for repair. The repair work was under way and was expected to be completed by midnight.
A spokesman for the KESC said that the affected unit would hopefully be made functional sometime late on Monday night. After shutting it down, the KESC came out with a schedule of rotational group-wise loadshedding with a single span of a maximum of one-and-a-half hour.
About power breakdown in North Karachi, the spokesman said that the circuit was overheated and it was switched off for up to 45 minutes. The power supply was discontinued for the period and later it was restored. The power supply situation in other areas remained normal, he added.
However, the residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Bahadurabad, Federal B Area, KDA Scheme 1, and others complained of an unannounced loadshedding and intermittent breakdowns.
People pointed out that the power utility had time and again been claiming that no loadshedding was being applied. But why had they resorted to telling lies consistently,” they asked.
A resident from Soni Chalet Bungalows in Scheme 33 said that his locality experienced an eight-hour power breakdown during the day. He said that water could not be pumped through motors to the overhead tanks which created another problem.
A resident from Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 5 said that his locality was without power for five hours in the daytime. He said that the loadshedding should not continue for more than two hours.
A resident from Gulistan-i-Jauhar Block-17 said that the people in his locality spent a sleepless night due to intermittent power failures whole the night between Sunday and Monday. He said that the power failures continued on Monday and despite lodging of complaints several a times, the situation remained the same.
A citizen from Dhoraji Society said that power went of for two hours in the daytime. This has become a routine in the area, he added.
A resident of KDA Scheme No.1, near PNS Karsaz, said that power went off at around 9:30am and it was restored by 12:30pm.
Similarly, a resident from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 13-D/III, said that a four-hour power breakdown occurred in his locality.
A consumer from Federal B Area, Block 17, said that the power went off at around 3pm and it was restored at around 5:30pm. Speaking from Block-15, another consumer said that the power supply was suspended twice for two hours on Monday.
A resident from Defence, Phase VII, said that power supply was suspended for at least two hours in the evening. He said that intermittent power failures in his locality were a routine. So were the views of the residents of Clifton.
Meanwhile, the KESC’s CEO, Frank Scherschmidt, inaugurated a consumer facilitation camp in Lines Area on Monday to provide legal connection on a nominal payment of Rs500 while the remaining charges will be recovered in easy instalments, adds PPI
Mr Scherschmidt said the KESC wanted to maintain closer contacts with its customers and it had selected a right place to make a beginning. “We will try to make Lines Area a model locality in this respect which will be an example for other areas”, he added.
He admitted that presently the KESC neither had good supply nor good services, but it wanted to change that under a new motto, “for us customers come first”.
He said he was overwhelmed by the warm welcome of the area residents.
