Loading shedding after lockdown: How are businesses to survive?

As Karachi residents continue to face massive power failures, K-Electric has now extended the scope of load-shedding towards the city’s COVID-19 infected industrial sector by conducting seven to eight hours of power cuts on a daily basis.

The two-and-a-half-month business shutdown during the first COVID-19 lockdown sparked a severe economic crisis, and now unannounced power outages made up for the shortfall in business hours.

According to industrialists, many units have closed down night shift production owing to no power while others might follow suit. Closure of the night shift would hit over 30 percent of the total production of the manufacturer, they added.

Chairman All Karachi Tajir Itehad Atiq Mir 

Chairman All Karachi Tajir Itehad Atiq Mir said load-shedding is being carried out on the pretext of furnace oil shortage while KE’s 80pc power generation depends on natural gas and RLNG.

He recalled that a week ago, KE authorities had assured industries not to carry out load-shedding, however, then suddenly started it on an hour’s notice. He said “K-Electric is in fact an East India company working on an agenda to destroy the entire country. NEPRA is backed by the federal and provincial governments.

So far in the last 40 days, a loss of Rs 35 billion has been incurred but no one is ready to ask about it, Mir regretted.

The eight-hour unannounced load-shedding affect 35pc of production and hit exports, he said, urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to save Karachi from KE’s anti-industry policy. The trader community was already struggling to survive the COVID-19 threat, Mir added.

President of Karachi Sindh Traders Union Sheikh Habib

President of Karachi Sindh Traders Union Sheikh Habib pointed out that due to K-Electric’s cost-cutting measures, almost all the localities of Karachi city have to suffer unannounced load-shedding and power failures every day.

He further said, “The industries have also suffered badly due to the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown for more than two months and now, K-Electric has also resorted to massive load shedding, which poses threat to the already staked survival of industries.”

Habib said that KE has been earning huge profits every year but, unfortunately, it has not been adequately investing in improving the dilapidated distribution network.

President Site Association of Industry Suleiman Chawla

Suleman Chawla has said that the suspension of production activities will have an adverse impact on national exports due to prolonged load load-shedding by K-Electric.

He added that in a recent meeting with SITE industrialists, K-Electric assured that no load shedding will end in industrial areas but unfortunately, K-Electric has backed out from its commitment.

President SITE Association further said that coronavirus pandemic has already damaged the industry and the national economy as a whole. “Industries are battling for their survival and the recent load shedding by K-Electric will force them to close down,” he added.

Suleman Chawla has demanded an immediate end to load shedding in the SITE industrial area. Suleman Chawla commented that production units in the area are facing load-shedding from 12 am to 7 am.

Sindh Minister for Industries Jam Ikram­ullah Dharejo

Sindh Minister for Industries and Com­m­erce and Anti-Corruption, Jam Ikram­ullah Dharejo, in a statement, said the Sindh government is serious about resolving legitimate issues of the industrialists but this could not be solved without the positive role of the center.

He feared power outages would lead to an alarming rise in unemployment in the industries and urged the federal government to immediately resolve the issue. The prime minister should take immediate steps and if it’s not resolved, the situation may become more serious, Dharejo added.

Demands of traders

Traders and industrialists said that due to political backing, K Electric’s morale is high, the issue of load shedding and over-billing of K Electric is increasing day by day.

Traders requested Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Justice of Pakistan and other concerned ministers at the Federal and Provincial levels to review the situation and issue strict directives to K-Electric to improve its infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted power supply to the public and also the business and industries.