KARACHI, Nov 20: Karachi Electric Supply Company has started to conduct 4-hours a day load shedding at all water pumping stations of KW&SB from Nov 20th and announced that if KWSB continues to default on payments of outstanding dues, the power supply would be disconnected too.
During the past few weeks, KESC served several notices upon the KWSB for urgent payment of dues accumulating to Rs 25 billion failing which legal action would be taken according to the orders of Honorable Sindh High Court passed on Feb 28th, 2013. However, the Board has not taken any serious step to clear its dues. On Nov 1, KESC had sent a notice to KWSB to clear their dues till Nov 18th 2013 and also appealed to Federal and Provincial Governments to play their due role in the payment of outstanding electricity bills. However, no response came from either parties.
KESC said that the Honorable Sindh High Court through its order of Feb 28 this year permitted KESC to disconnect the power supply to the KWSB in case it failed to pay its current bills. KWSB had also assured the Honorable Court that it would pay all its outstanding bills from March this year. Unfortunately, the Board has not paid the bills till date and is in contempt of court orders.
In spite of that, KESC had not disconnected power supply to the water pumping stations solely in the interest of the water needs of the general public of Karachi. However, the non-payment from KWSB in clear violation of Sindh High Court orders continues to create liquidity problems, which KESC can no longer bear.
KESC said that in case of non-payment from the Water Board after the start of load shedding at water pumping stations, the power supply would be disconnected after which the sole responsibility of water shortage in the city would be on the KWSB itself.