KE, NEPRA, Petroleum Division meeting called to deliberate over Karachi outages

ISLAMABAD: Authorities have summoned an emergency meeting of officials of the Petroleum Division, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and K-Electric (KE) on Friday to discuss prevailing load-shedding in Karachi.

The meeting has been convened on the directives of Minister of Power Awais Leghari in response to a letter by the NEPRA, a spokesman for the Power Division said.

The NEPRA in its letter had requested the Power Division to immediately call a meeting to deliberate over and resolve the problem [of load-shedding in Karachi] on permanent basis.

Prolonged power cuts continue to plague Karachi with previously exempted areas being subjected to six-hour load-shedding every day.

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The areas bearing the brunt include blocks 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14 of Federal B Area, C-1, C and Liaquatabad No. 10, Orangi Town, Korangi, Safoora Goth, Scheme 33, Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Model Colony, New Karachi and North Karachi.

Owing to the power cuts, the work in government and private offices is being affected. In the courts, officials were seen using torches of their mobile phones to write in the dark whereas suspects brought for hearings seemed to be in a miserable state due to the heat.

Since the past few weeks, Karachi has been facing severe load-shedding after K-Electric, the city's sole power utility, said the Sui Southern Gas Company has curbed gas supply and it is thus unable to produce the required amount of power.

The gas company claims KE owes it millions in dues and will restore supply once the payments are made.