Opposition registers protest against power outages

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The opposition in the Sindh Assembly on Monday registered stiff protest against the prolonged electricity outages that traumatize public across the province

On a point of order, opposition leader, MQM’s Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan raised the issue of prolonged and unscheduled power cuts by the electricity supplier – K Electric (KE) that paralyzed the public daily life. He said electric power crisis in Sindh grew severely.

“A dispute between K Electric and SSGC has traumatized people in Sindh,” he said, lamenting that Karachi always became a victim of the national policies as it has always been provided less electricity from the national grid than its requirements.

He also called the federal government attitude towards Karachi as ‘biased’, saying that the city’s several areas face a 12-hour electricity load-shedding. Speaker, Sindh Assembly, Aga Siraj Khan Durrani added to his speech that his ancestral locality faces 18-hour power cuts.

Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sindh Senior Parliamentary Affairs Minister, acknowledged that the province is facing the worst power cuts, saying that “the federal government never pays heed on Sindh’s clamor.” He told the house that Sindh cabinet also took a serious notice of the electricity crisis because load-shedding not only hurt public life in the cities but also disturbed life of farmers, labourers and poor people in rural areas of the province. He worried that the holy month of Ramazan approaching fast while the federal government turned a deaf ear to Sindh’s genuine demand regarding uninterrupted power supply.

The house also adopted a resolution unanimously against the federal government on water supplies cut to Sindh as Nisar Khuhro appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation while tabling the move. The resolution slammed Irsa (Indus River System Authority) for its attitude towards Sindh.

It requested to the Supreme Court to issue directives to the federal government to ensure steps that are required for protection of river delta. The move also regretted continuing water shortage to Sindh’s tail-end parts due to which nearly 220 acres of land fell victim to the sea erosion. The Irsa didn’t comply with water agreement, it said.

Khuhro said Supreme Court should take notice of water shortage in Sindh, saying that the province has fallen victim to the non-implementation of water accord by the Irsa. “What is our fault, why are we being held thirsty,” he said.

Earlier, Saeed Ghani, Sindh Planning and Development Minister, told the house that government had spent $85 million on developing different sectors in 13 cities of the province under financial aid by Asian Development Bank. The house was adjourned till Tuesday morning.