KESC

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday warned the bigwigs of the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation to improve its performance or get ready for de-privatisation.“If the KESC management does not mend its ways and fails to provide the basic utility, then the government will be left with no option but to de-privatise it,” said Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan while winding up the debate in the National Assembly on prolonged power outages in the country, particularly in Karachi.The minister also reiterated the prime minister’s assertion that the increase in power tariff and loadshedding could not go together. Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the MQM Haider Abbas Rizvi initiated the debate on the continuing power breakdowns and unscheduled loadshedding in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan.Dr Babar Awan said the PPP had opposed the privatisation of the KESC in 2005. He urged the people to keep a vigil on line losses, especially ‘Kundas’, which caused long power breakdowns.On the performance of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), the minister said he personally had serious reservations about some of its laws. “I held a meeting with the Nepra legal advisers on Monday and told them to revisit the laws which are not people friendly,” he added.Referring to the bill introduced in the House on Tuesday to amend the Nepra laws, he said the government had not opposed the bill. He said he would ask the relevant Wapda officials to enforce power cuts according to a timetable.The minister said the government was ready to give the provinces their rights under the Constitution. “The PPP believes in strengthening the Federation,” he added. Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the MQM Haider Abbas Rizvi said the KESC had failed to deliver. Iqbal S Qadri of the MQM said whenever the president and the prime minister visited Karachi, there was no loadshedding in the city. He said the top officials of the KESC were getting hefty salaries but had failed to provide electricity to the people. Meanwhile, Hamayun Saifullah Khan quoted the Article 157(C) and (D) of the Constitution that allows the provincial government to install power plants, grid stations and also decide the tariff. He said the government should allow the provincial governments to make their own arrangements.He also raised the question of not forming the Council of Common Interests, saying the previous government convened only one meeting of the council in five years while this government had not even notified the names of the CCI members.On a point of order, Rashid Akbar Nawani of the PML-N complained about the MD Pepco and demanded his removal from the office. “The Pepco managing director should be sacked as he isworking against the government,” he claimed.