SC directs Fed govt to take action against K-Electric over load shedding

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday directed the federal government to take action against K-Electric over unjust load-shedding in Karachi, ARY NEWS reported.

In a written order issued by the apex court over a hearing at the Karachi registry regarding load-shedding carried out by the power utility, the Supreme Court termed the procedure of power outages adopted by the K-Electric as unnecessary.

“Non-payment of dues by a consumer should not result in suffering for the entire area,” the court ruled and directed the federal government to take action against the power utility for carrying out unnecessary load shedding.

Reservations have also emerged from consumers regarding over-billing, the apex court noted in its written order and added that consumers have blamed the power utility for charging more money in the bills than consumed electricity units.

The top court has set the hearing of the case in Islamabad after two weeks.

Earlier on August 13, hearing a case regarding load-shedding and electrocution deaths at the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed took K-Electric to task over power cuts.

K-Electric cut off power supply to half of Karachi yesterday, just a day after it was directed to end load shedding, he observed. “Are they in their right minds,” the chief justice censured the power company’s CEO.

K-Electric’s lawyer told the judges that power wasn’t cut off. “People die and they [K-Electric] go and get bail from the high court,” the chief justice remarked. “This is a matter of people’s lives. We will not leave them at their mercy.”

CJP Gulzar said people of Karachi are bearing the brunt of the power company’s monopoly.