The Sindh High Court has disposed of a petition by 19 industrial units against prolonged and unannounced power cuts in Karachi’s SITE Industrial Area after NEPRA placed its findings before the bench. In that report, the power regulator said the K-Electric load shedding schedule must not include unannounced, off-schedule or excessive outages, and that steps should be taken to reduce or end load shedding in the petitioners’ areas within three to six months.
What NEPRA told the court
A NEPRA deputy director told the court that a decision had already been issued on the industrial complaints. According to that account, K-Electric has been directed to end load shedding that is unannounced, that departs from the prescribed schedule, or that goes beyond what is needed.
NEPRA’s report also set limits on collective punishment of paying customers. It said electricity cannot be cut off for consumers who regularly pay their bills merely because of electricity theft, unpaid dues, or high losses on a feeder. Instead, action should be taken against individual consumers involved in theft or non-payment.
Three to six months to ease cuts
Beyond stopping irregular outages, NEPRA directed that measures be taken over the next three to six months to reduce or end load shedding in the areas covered by the petition. That direction sits alongside the order to keep any remaining K-Electric load shedding schedule within announced limits and away from excess cuts.
The court closed the case on the basis of the NEPRA report rather than keeping the industrial plea pending for further hearings.
What the industrial petitioners argued
Raja Naveed, counsel for the petitioners, told the court that the industrial area was facing 10 to 12 hours of load shedding every day. He said the outages were disrupting industrial activity and business. Those claims formed the backdrop to the petition that the Sindh High Court has now disposed of in light of the regulator’s findings.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi ke SITE industrial area mein lambi aur baghair elaan load shedding ke khilaf 19 factories ki darkhwast High Court ne NEPRA ki report par khatam kar di. NEPRA ne K-Electric ko kaha hai ke baghair schedule, zyada ya chhupi hui load shedding band kare. Petitioners ke ilaqon mein teen se chheh mahine mein load shedding kam ya khatam karne ke iqdamat kiye jaen. Jo log regular bill bharte hain, unki bijli feeder ke losses ya doosron ki chori ki wajah se nahi kaati ja sakti.
