KARACHI, Oct 27: The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has sought permission to dig up some 13 roads, reconstructed recently by the city government, to lay underground distribution lines.

A three-member KESC delegation led by its chief operating officer, Syed Jan Abbas Zaidi, called on City Nazim Mustafa Kamal a couple of days back to seek the permission for road-cutting as part of the company’s system improvement plan.

The nazim, holding over the permission, asked the delegation to submit a proposal identifying the point-to-point portions of the roads the KESC wanted to dig up.

A team of city government engineers would weigh the proposal and any permission would only be granted in the light of its recommendations, the delegation was told.

Meanwhile, talking to newsmen, Mr Kamal made it clear that he would not allow anyone to dig up the newly-constructed roads. “We have spent billions of rupees on the construction of the roads and greenbelts… how can we allow anyone to ruin the infrastructure?” he added.

He said that he had asked the KESC delegation to inform him about the investment plans of the new management. “We have no interest in the problems of the KESC because we are more interested in resolving the problems being faced by the citizens.”

In reply to a question, the nazim said that the issue of disconnection of electricity at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board headquarters did not come under discussion. He said that over Rs10 billion KWSB dues were outstanding against several departments and the federal government had assured the city government that it would adjust the dues.

Meanwhile, KESC spokesman Qashif Effendi told Dawn that a KESC team met the city nazim for seeking right of way to upgrade the company’s transmission and distribution network. “KESC will be submitting a proposal and we will work with the city government as we do not want to disturb the city’s infrastructure,” he added.