KARACHI: K-Electric on Wednesday disconnected power supply to the head office of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and its other offices due to non-payment of dues.

Sources in the KE and KMC told Dawn that the power utility had on Feb 20 asked the city’s municipal administration to make payment of the already reconciled amount of around Rs26.6 million as first instalment of total dues of Rs1.517 billion.

They said that the power utility had warned the KMC that the power supply to the KMC offices might be disconnected.

The sources said that power supply to the KMC’s electrical and mechanical section of the engineering department at Gurumandir was also disconnected.

They said that the KE issued the disconnection notice to the municipal administration after a division bench of the Sindh High Court dismissed the KMC’s plea against the power utility’s demand for payment of the reconciled amount of the outstanding dues.

KMC sources said that the municipal administration was faced with acute shortage of funds as it did not have money even for the payment of salaries to its employees.

They said that the KMC had requested the provincial government for a special grant of Rs1.571bn for the payment of KE dues.

City Mayor Wasim Akhtar said that the provincial government had been requested for a special grant but to no avail.

He said that the local government secretary was sent an official request for the grant asking him to immediately move the summary before the chief minister.

He said that the power utility also owed dues of over Rs7bn to the KMC as its poles, transformers, substations and other installations were erected on the land of the municipal administration.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2019