KARACHI: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that supply of gas to K-Electric (KE) will resume from today.
The decision followed a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy which the premier chaired today to resolve the ongoing power crisis in Karachi.
Addressing the media after the meeting, the prime minister said KE and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) have been given 15 days to resolve the issue and restore the supply of electricity to Karachi.
He said further that the supply of gas to KE from SSGC will be ensured, adding that the supply will resume from today.
The premier informed that the power company’s generation issues were also discussed in the meeting.
“Karachi will have electricity and water,” he assured further.
The meeting, held at Governor House, included Power Minister Awais Leghari, Finance Adviser Miftah Ismail, State Power Minister Abid Sher Ali and representatives of KE, the metropolis’ main power supplier, and SSGC, among other officials.
Since the last few weeks, Karachi has been facing severe load-shedding after KE said the SSGC has curbed supply and it is thus unable to produce the required amount of power. The gas company claims KE owes it millions in dues and will restore supply once the payments are made.
The residents bear the brunt of the tug-of-war as prolonged power cuts have continued to plague Karachi, with previously exempted areas being subjected to six hours of load-shedding every day.
The areas most affected by the ongoing power crisis include blocks 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14 of Federal B Area, C-1, C and No. 10 localities of Liaquatabad, Orangi Town, Korangi, Safoora Goth, Scheme 33, Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Model Colony, New Karachi and North Karachi.
Owing to the power cuts, the work in government and private offices is being affected. In the courts, officials were seen using torches of their mobile phones to write in the dark whereas suspects brought for hearings seemed to be in a miserable state due to the heat.
On Thursday, the officials of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) briefed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat and held KE responsible for the ongoing power cuts in Karachi.
After arriving in Karachi, where he was received by the chief minister, Abbasi headed to attend a seminar on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor where he was the chief guest.
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who arrived in Karachi, also attended the seminar as did Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
