KARACHI, Nov 5: Maj-Gen Muhammad Ashraf Saleem, the GOC-4, Army Air Defence Division, has asked the Army Monitoring Teams and the KESC’s billing and distribution engineers for an increased vigilance against power theft during the holy month of Ramazan.

He was presiding over a meeting of the AMT and KESC officials at the corporation’s Board Room to review its monthly performance. The meeting discussed the issues of power distribution, reduction in T&D losses and billing.

The Managing Director of KESC, Brig Tariq Saddozai, Head of the AMTs, Brig Irfan Ali and other senior army and KESC officials were present on the occasion.

Gen Saleem said that the sanctity of the holy month and inferences from the holy Quran require ‘cleansing’ from every pious Muslim. He said that clearing the city of Kundas and keeping a check on the illegal power supply to commercial centres and congregations besides illumination for night cricket matches would be the righteous duties of the Army’s Monitoring Teams. He told the meeting that the KESC staff would be performing with full zeal during the holy month.

Brig Saddozai reaffirmed that the corporation was devising policies for providing new connections to the consumers promptly.

Brig Irfan Ali suggested that the survey by the provincial Electrical Inspectorate, Karachi, for power connections to multi-storey buildings should be quicker and target-oriented.

Ashfaqullah Shaikh, the EIK representative, informed the meeting that there were 24 buildings already declared dangerous and exposed to fire hazards unless their internal wirings were corrected immediately.

The meeting decided that a reminder would be sent to the DCO with a warning that if suitable response was not received from the city government within a week, the EIK would advise the KESC to disconnect power supply to such buildings.—APP