August 18, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 15, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 17: The Karachi Electric Supply Company has not been able to rectify thousands of faults that had developed since the first monsoon showers lashed the city and knowledgeable sources apprehend massive breakdowns in case of more rains because the utility has not taken any rain-emergency measures.

Meanwhile, many city areas remained without power for long spells on Sunday. Residents of Clifton Block 4 complained they were without electricity since noon, but the KESC officials were unable to restore electricity for more than six hours. They could not locate the fault and kept on making excuses.

Consumers were harassed by the intermittent power outages since Saturday evening. Sources in the KESC said one unit of Bin Qasim and another of the KTPS were shut down not because of the fault but to save on fuel cost.

The Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf, who was in the city for a meeting, failed to take notice of the pathetic power situation in Karachi, which might cause another power riot.

According to sources the KESC management has not procured the necessary spares, which are worth about Rs150 million or more. “They don’t have the distribution transformers of more than 250kv in stock. It would mean that if a PMT of 250kv is damaged, that area will remain without electricity for a long time.