KARACHI, May 9: The managing director of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, Brig Tariq Saddozai, on Thursday directed the engineers and chief engineers of the electricity distribution department to enhance vigilance, expedite and repair local area power breakdowns and cable fault.

Taking serious note of the recent surge of public complaints regarding power breakdowns, he presided over a “fact-finding and solution-providing” meeting of the KESC and army engineers at the head office here on Thursday.

He directed the divisional heads of the utility distribution department to increase field visits and surveillance of the complaint centres and the power rectification staff in their respective jurisdiction. Besides, they were also directed to keep the MD informed every evening about the local area faults and the progress made to correct the breakdown on a daily basis.

The meeting was attended by Chief Engineers Khalid Iqbal, Jamil Gul and Shabbir Solangi, Army engineers LT-Col Farooq Hussain and Lt-Col Zahid Hamid.

The KESC chief engineers pointed out certain difficulties in the quick identification of the underground cable faults, especially in localities like Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Korangi, Old City and areas with indiscriminate encroachments. The KESC laid underground cables many years back and with the passage of time these cables, due to sedimentation, have gone 8-10 feet below the ground level and the area has also been encroached upon by all kinds of concrete and other structures. At few places Roti Tandoors (local bread-ovens) are working atop underground power- cables. At such places checking power cable faults become difficult and time consuming, they added.

The KESC MD directed Officer Incharge Coordination Lt-Col Zahid Hamid to immediately procure underground cable fault locators and pin-pointers. He was also directed to keep close liaison with the chief engineers for the latest update on power supply position. Soon the KESC engineers will have high- efficiency sonic underground cable fault locators and pin-pointer equipment with a range of 20 and 160 kilometres for quick identification of the damage due to which frequent power breakdowns occur, a KESC spokesman added.

The KESC MD also ordered the establishment by Monday of a centralized information cell at Power House to be supervised by Dy Chief Engineer Umer Khushk and will have four assistant engineers to collect information from the operation centres and provide regular updates to the management and the city complaint centres and the principal information officer.

From next week, the KESC will also issue regular bulletins for public information about the city power distribution situation through the print and electronic media.

KESC MD Brig Tariq Saddozai regretted the inconvenience caused to the public due to multiple cable faults and power breakdowns during the last few days.—PPI