KARACHI, Sept 12: The Karachi Electric Supply has beefed up security at all its installations in the city after the blowing up of one of its towers at the Port Qasim Mor on Sunday.

No one has yet been arrested though an FIR against unknown saboteurs has been registered. A KESC spokesman said it could take a fortnight or more to repair the damage and restore regular power supply to the affected areas.

Foreign experts along with the KESC’s engineers are expected to survey the site and assess the extent of damage caused to the high tension tower in the Bin Qasim area on Tuesday, after which it would be determined whether the same pole could be erected or a new one would be installed.

On Monday the minister for power and the KESC chief also visited the site.

In any case the utility would require to shut down power supply in the northern zone on the days when the wires would be strung after rehabilitating the damaged pole. Until the repairs are completed, residents of parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B Area, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad and North Karachi and Baldia would face power outages due to peak-hour loadshedding.

While the KESC is holding other utilities responsible for the damage to its wires and facilities, the utility is also to blame for its own problems. “The delay in the purchase of insulated high-tension wires was one of the factors,” said an insider. “The formation of a cartel by suppliers of high-tension insulated wires to the utility is hindering its system improvement programme.”

The utility had decided to procure insulated wires for its system in the city after their use in Korangi had reduced theft and transmission and distribution losses. But the cartel had delayed procurement of 1,160,400 meters HT 4-core cable 16 mm sq. No single company was ready to provide the entire quantity mentioned in the tender.

According to a working paper prepared for the KESC’s Board of Directors last month, the stock of cables was nil and the quantity balance on purchase order could hardly meet the requirement of one month. The average monthly consumption of the particular cable was 70,000 meters for D/D Projects and 34,000 meters for the distribution department and was likely to increase with the projects picking up speed. The Board of Directors was informed that if the purchase orders of the required cables were not placed immediately, the projects shall stop and the KESC would be deprived of the benefits which would affect the drive for the reduction of distribution losses.

The SITE association chairman, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, who is also on the KESC board of directors, told Dawn that despite efforts the suppliers’ cartel refused to budge. Therefore, in the interest of consumers and for the completion of the systems improvement projects, the committee headed by him, which included KCCI chief Khalid Firoz and Khwaja Khusro, ordered purchase of wires at the given price while trying for the alternatives for outsourcing in the future. Mr Baig said the delivery of wires would begin in a month.

He said the cables were specially insulated and could not be cut with an ordinary saw, reducing the chances of damage and theft. Mr Baig said that power theft was more in residential areas, particularly in kutchi abadis. He claimed that in SITE line losses could be around 8 per cent, but the city average was over 30 per cent. He said that power theft and line losses in Malir, Landhi, Nazimabad and North Nazimabad exceeded 58 per cent.