JI seeks K-Electric audit over Lyari load-shedding

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami's Karachi chief Monem Zafar demanded on Sunday that K-Electric end unannounced load-shedding in Lyari, that the company's accounts be forensically audited, and that the Sindh government explain how a Rs25.28 billion package for the area was spent.

Speaking at a press conference at Aath Chowk in Lyari Town, with JI District South chief Sufyan Dilawar beside him, Zafar said some parts of the neighbourhood receive four to six hours of electricity in 24 and that outages in some areas run to 18 or 20 hours. Residents, he said, must be given their right to live through a proper supply of electricity, water and other basic amenities.

"Where is the justice in this? If some people in an area steal electricity or do not pay bills, the entire population cannot be punished for it," he said, adding that a large number of residents pay their bills regularly and that cutting them off was cruelty.

He said a Rs25.28 billion Lyari Transformation Project had been announced, yet Lyari remained in ruins. "The Sindh government should tell where this huge amount was spent and what change has come in Lyari under this project," he said. He compared it to the Karachi Greater Plan, saying people had been deceived in that scheme's name as well.

Zafar referred to a recently built road in Hyderabad that residents call the "road of poles" because electricity poles stand in its middle. A Sindh government spokesman apologised for it, he said, but Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah described it as part of his Greater Plan. "If Lyari has become a ruin today, is it also part of the Sindh government's Greater Plan?" he asked.

He said the PPP, MQM and PML-N are all part of the government at the Centre, while the PPP has ruled Sindh for 18 years. Before the general elections, he said, the PPP chairman promised 300 units of free electricity and Maryam Nawaz promised 200 units in Punjab. "Today the people of Lyari are asking these rulers what happened to their promises and claims," he said.

Zafar said K-Electric is being given a subsidy of Rs164 billion this year and has received Rs1,500 billion since privatisation. Privatisation was meant to improve supply and end load-shedding, he said, but prolonged outages continue across the city. "K-Electric should be made accountable and its performance should be fully audited."

Separately, Daily Ausaf reported that the power regulator NEPRA has ordered K-Electric to end unannounced and excessive load-shedding in industrial areas. The report did not say when the order was issued or what follows from it.

Zafar said Lyari was once known for its sports and its hard-working people but is now known for prolonged load-shedding, drug peddling, the activities of armed groups and dilapidated infrastructure.