Awais Leghari refuses to provide gas to K-Electric until payment of due money
Awais Leghari advised Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to end electricity theft from the province
ISLAMABAD (APP):Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has written a letter to Chief Minister Sindh over energy crisis in Karachi and assured the government full support to the extent of its responsibility for ensuring consistent power supply to Karachi.
The minister in his letter said that K-Electric could had run the shut down plants on alternate fuel as reported by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
The minister also stressed payments of Rs 32 billion by Karachi Water Supply Board (KWSB) to K-Electric (KE) to make it settle its payment issues with Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL).
He also asked for CM Sindh role for payment of outstanding dues of KE towards Karachi Water Supply Board.
Awais said the government had made all out efforts to handle the energy crisis in the country through various initiatives including generation addition to bridge demand supply gap.
“Karachi being hub of the business activity, industrial development and one of the largest cities of Pakistan has always remained a key focus for the government. KE has also been supported by the government to maintain and sustain efficient generation and distribution of electricity to the city of Karachi,” the letter added.
The recent crises being faced in Karachi in form of Load-shedding is the result of mismanagement, system inefficiencies and commercial mishandling of KE, it said.
He said the non-supply of SSGCL to KE could not just be attributed to non-payment by KE to SSGCL or absence of GSA.
The outstanding liabilities of provincial government department KWSB to the tune of Rs 32 billion has played a pivotal role in rendering KE incapacitated for payments to SSGCL.
On the other hand, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chief Mustafa Kamal has demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo moto notice of intensified power outages in Karachi.
