Civil society demands legal action against KE

 

KARACHI: Civil society and human rights organisations have urged the Sindh High Court (SHC) to permanently restrain the city?s power utility, K-Electric, from continuing its practice of arbitrary and discriminatory load-shedding and also to bar KE from implementing its strategy of collective punishment for area residents.  

They also called for the Ministry of Water and Power and the regulatory body, Nepra, to be directed to initiate proceedings against KE for its arbitrary and unannounced load shedding policy.

This was stated by representatives of civil society, trade unions and the key petitioners speaking at press conference at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday.  Karamat Ali, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), singer Jawad Ahmed, businessman Nazim Haji, Aurat Foundation Director Mahnaz Rehman and senior trade union leader Habibuddin Junaidi addressed the press conference.

The signatories of the petition against KE include Karamat Ali, Nazim Haji and Jawad Ahmad as an individual citizens, as well as Piler, National Organisation for Working Communities (NOW Communities), Urban Resource Centre and Workers Education and Research Organisation (WERO) as institutions. The petition has been filed through senior lawyer Faisal Siddiqi.

The hearing of the fresh petition was slated for yesterday, but has now been been adjourned till July 19.

This new petition is a continuation of a previous constitutional petition regarding the KE?s performance, with special reference of the over 1,000 deaths due to a heatwave in 2015 which was exacerbated by the power utility?s failure that resulted in prolonged and undeclared power outages.

That petition resulted in issuance of a Nepra show-cause to KE and, later on, an order against KE. The new petition calls for the SHC to direct the provincial government, Nepra and KE to implement and enforce Nepra?s March 25 decision.

The petition has requested the SHC to declare that the chief secretary and Sindh Energy Department are under an obligation to ensure enforcement of the right to electricity and right to water under Article 9 of the Constitution of 1973, for the people of Karachi, and direct these officers to issue directions and take action against KE to ensure that no arbitrary and discriminatory load shedding is carried out.

Speaking on the occasion, Nazim Haji alleged that KE has committed a grave violation of laws which is equal to fraud. In the monthly bill of June 2016, the power utility has billed 200 to 250 units from the actual reading of the meter. This has resulted in inflated bills for consumers who are mainly middle class. ?The KE management is lying and committing grave violation of Nepra rules,? he said, adding that the consumers would not allow any such exploitation.

Besides a legal battle through the SHC, the civil society would also organise protest demonstrations against the KE, it was said.

?Originally published in The News