HYDERABAD: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) has claimed that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is unable to run its transmission system because it is obsolete and in a dilapidated condition although the country can still produce 22,000 megawatts, i.e. the total consumption.

CBA president Abdul Latif Nizamani told a rally, held here on Wednesday in connection with the union’s campaign against the government’s privatisation policy, that the Wapda power distribution system could not withstand the load of over 16,000MW. He said loadshedding of 6,000MW was being resorted to across the country in order to save the system.He also expressed his shock and grief over deaths of hundreds of people from heatstroke and said loadshedding and outages were also to blame.

He said power consumers had to endure loadshedding and outages in this sweltering heatwave.

Mr Nizamani said that unless the system was upgraded and fuel to closed power houses was provided, people would continue to suffer and endure outages. He said the government wanted to rid people of loadshedding but it could not succeed without upgrading the system and control lapses.

He said that the union had long been urging the government to revitalise closed power houses and ensure resumption of fuel supply to them instead of obliging private power houses by supplying them with fuel.

Mr Nizamani claimed that the government wanted to privatise its power utilities after declaring the closed generating units ‘useless’. This would be an anti-state, anti-workers and anti-Wapda move, he warned.

He said 11,000 employees were working in the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). He said tragic incidents involving technical staff were also taking place due to pressure of work and a lack of safety gears offices. He said that it was sad note that linemen of power utilities were electrocuted in the line of duty and neither the minister concerned nor their organisation seemed ready to take remedial measures.

CBA provincial general secretary Iqbal Qaimkhani and several other leaders also spoke.

SUKKUR: Members and supporters of Wapda CBA along with Sukkur Electric Supply Company (Sepco) workers held a demonstration outside their office in Daharki town of Ghotki district on Wednesday.

Local CBA leaders Malook Jatoi, Allah Rakhio Korai, Ali Pathan, Akbar Dashti, Saleem Samejo and others in their speeches vowed to continue their protest against moves to privatise power utilities in the country. They warned the government against imposing its unpopular decisions on workers.

They urged the government to reverse its “anti-workers” policy and stop “conspiracies” to sell away profit-making institutions in the name of privatisation.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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