KARACHI: The commissioner of Karachi on Friday directed the K-Electric to not disconnect the power supply to an entire area without first informing and getting permission from elected representatives and the district administration.

Speaking at a meeting held with elected representatives from district central and district administrative officials, Karachi commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui said that the disconnection of power supply to entire areas caused the people to stage sit-ins which caused a breakdown of law and order. He said that elected representatives would also help out the K-Electric recover dues.

Earlier, MPAs Azeem Farooqui and Jamal Ahmed informed the participants in the meeting that the K-Electric had sent what they described as inflated bills to consumers and asked them to make payments in instalments. When some consumers did not make full payment, the power utility cut off the supply to the entire area, including those consumers who had paid their bills.

Published in Dawn, August 30th , 2014