KARACHI, May 16: Power supply position in the city may further aggravate in the ensuing summer because the new KESC management is finding it difficult to improve the utility’s power generation capability, as well as its transmission and distribution network and its billing system.

"The entire KESC system is of `stone age’ and we are trying hard to improve it. We have plans to import 100 kilometres of aerial bundled wire and have placed an immediate order for 10 kilometres of such wire to replace it with the existing distribution lines. This will help discourage power theft and save line losses", Frank Scherschmidt, KESC’s chief executive officer, told Dawn.

The KESC’s CEO said the main problem was the power generation and the KESC is planning to set up a new power generation plant at Korangi having four gas turbines at an estimated cost of 600 million US dollars. It will initially start generating 488 megawatts by May next, and later it would be upgraded to enhance its generation capacity.

However, KESC employees said there were no signs of investment within the utility. They said the new stakeholders were making policies and the contractors were implementing such policies and at times they were seen at odds with each other.

They maintained that the operations and management affairs had been given on contract to a private multinational firm. All transfers and postings, as well as distribution and billing were being looked after by the contracting firm (Siemens), and the corporate heads have nothing to do with the affairs of the management and operations.

Acknowledging this fact, the chief executive officer Frank Scherschmidt said: "According to the agreement, we cannot interfere into operations and management affairs of contractors. We can ask them about the reasons of power failures in our board's meeting scheduled in approaching June and we would definitely ask them the reasons why recurring power breakdowns have occurred recently."

Sources in the power utility said the contractors looking after the management and operation affairs had entirely changed the administrative structure and have carried out a major reshuffle which might not be the major problem in the corporation.

The chief engineer, a top level post, has been re-designated as director. Similarly, deputy chief engineer’s post has been re-designated as general manager, superintendent engineer as deputy general manager, executive engineer as manager, assistant executive engineer as assistant manager. The designations of the lower staff have also been changed.

Sources said two deputy chief engineers have been made directors while some chief engineers have been demoted from their status of director to the rank of general manager. Some meter inspectors, a clerical post, have been made assistant managers. This has happened on almost every post and the new management has not set any criteria.

However, the KESC engineers and the staff did not oppose or object to the decisions taken by the new operation management and continued to work on their new assignments.

KESC officials said the reshuffle was part of restructuring of the organization to improve its performance.

The sources said that instead of giving utmost importance to check power theft, maintain power generation, and bring stability in the smooth distribution of power in the city, importance was given to transfers, postings, and bringing a change to the entire setup of the management, which has not only affected the performance of the power utility but has also caused frequent breakdowns and prolonged power failures.