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Saturday, July 23, 2011
Senate asks government to take control of KESCStaff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Upper House on Friday demanded the government to take over the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), as its management had totally failed to deliver.
Senator Raza Rabbani raised the issue and demanded of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to immediately take over the company. Speaking on a point of order, he said that the KESC had failed to provide services to consumers and the government had no option but to retake control of the company.
Rabbani said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had strongly opposed the decision of the privatisation of KESC and had informed the then government that the handing over of an essential utility to foreigner investors would prove to be a major security risk. “Time has proved that the privatisation of the KESC was a wrong decision and now all the sensitive installations are under threat,” he added.
The senator said that the KESC management had adopted an anti-people and anti-worker policy and was following an agenda to close down the industrial units in Karachi by causing a power crisis and ensuring the import of third rate goods made by foreign countries. He alleged that the KESC management terminated 4,500 lower cadre employees and people were being recruited on a contract basis.
Rabbani alleged that the company did nothing to provide uninterrupted electricity to the consumers, however it was involved in minting money by regularly raising the power tariff. He said that the KESC managing director (MD) and its management were drawing lucrative salaries and other perks while the company was not ready to pay the lower cadre employees. Rabbani added that foreigner investors were trying to ban trade unions in Pakistan. He said that the KESC MD had even refused to meet the governor and chief executive of the province, which was a blatant violation of the country’s laws.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk