KARACHI, May 20: Amid frequent power breakdowns taking place in Karachi, the Federal Minister for Power and Water, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, arrived here on Friday to personally inspect the power supply situation and the performance of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC)’s complaint centres.

Mr Jatoi along with Managing Director KESC Brig Tariq Saddozai paid surprise visits to various residential areas to see the power supply position. His visit is aimed at ensuring quick mending of breakdowns by complaint centre staff.

He visited the KESC Centralized Complaint Nerve Centre (118) at the Awami Markaz, Operation Centre IV on Tipu Sultan Road, and Customer Centres of Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

He scrutinized records at the KESC complaint centres; and inspected the promptness of dispatching power breakdown complaints and complaint feedback record of consumers. He also made numerous telephone calls to complaint-registering consumers and inquired if their complaint was timely attended.

He informed them that this year the KESC had a big challenge of keeping the city well lit due to power generation constraints. “Overloading of transmission and distribution network was another impediment although 10 new power transfers and 800 PMTs were added to residential areas since July 2003,” he said.

“Work on transmission lines is still in progress and its completion is expected by the end of this month, after which power supply will improve,” Mr Jatoi said. He, however, assured people that he would be in the city to ensure early attention to power failure complaints.

Addressing the KESC workers at Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Operation Centre IV, the minister said: “Serving a consumer is like worship,” he said, highlighting the importance of public service to the KESC staff.

“Think of the students taking exams, think of the elderly, sick, and extend your services to all customers,” he advised.

He further advised the utility’s employees to work as a team for close coordination.—PPI