Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed the energy department and K-Electric to jointly undertake a study on a targeted subsidy programme for power consumers in Karachi, aimed at providing relief to vulnerable households.
Shah ordered devising proposals to provide affordable electricity to low-income neighbourhoods and industrial areas, and stressed the need to reduce load-shedding in poor localities in the city as summer begins.
During a meeting with KE Chairman Shahryar Chishti at the CM House, Shah expressed concern over prolonged power outages in underprivileged areas, saying that the onset of summer has increased hardships for low-income communities. He stressed that a practical solution be found to reduce load-shedding, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods.
“We want load-shedding to be reduced, especially in low-income areas, and a sustainable solution should be worked out so poor communities are not burdened by long outages.” Discussing long-term solutions, Shah stressed the need to generate cheaper electricity, particularly through the utilisation of the Thar Coalfield’s coal, and proposed that low-cost electricity generated from Thar be supplied to KE so it can be provided uninterruptedly at affordable rates to poor localities.
He also said his government is exploring a partnership with KE to develop a plan for supplying competitively priced electricity to industrial areas to support productivity and reduce costs. Chishti assured Shah that KE is ready to work in cooperation with the government on measures aimed at consumer relief and improved service delivery. He said that low-cost power generation is essential for sustainable relief to consumers.
Shah directed the energy department to prepare multiple proposals for providing cheaper electricity, and announced forming a committee comprising the city commissioner, the energy secretary and the KE CEO to present recommendations on supplying affordable electricity to low-income areas, and explore viable subsidy and supply mechanisms.
The meeting also reviewed broader energy cooperation between the Sindh government and KE, with a focus on affordability, uninterrupted power supply and support for vulnerable consumers.
Earlier this month, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) filed an application in the Sindh High Court and sought contempt proceedings against officials of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) for not implementing an earlier court order about loadshedding in the city.
In November last year, the SHC referred the matter of loadshedding to Nepra for a decision within one month and also directed the authority to file a compliance report through an SHC member inspection team.
Citing Nepra Chairman Waseem Mukhtar and advisor to consumer affairs at its Karachi office Abid Hussain as alleged contemnors, JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar through his lawyer Usman Farooq filed a contempt application in the SHC.
