NAB chairman orders inquiry against K-Electric over load-shedding

KARACHI (92 News) – Taking notice of the public complaints, NAB Chairman Justice (rtd) Javed Iqbal ordered the accountability watchdog’s Karachi bureau to launch an inquiry against K-Electric over prolonged load-shedding and over-billing. An inquiry should be launched for not elevating the electricity infrastructure in the city on modern lines, the NAB chairman said as he directed the Karachi bureau to acquire a copy of the K-Electric agreement with the government and ascertain if it was implemented or not. He also directed them to acquire investment details of the K-Electric. “We believe in performing our duties within the ambit of law,” Justice (r) Iqbal said and added that the NAB would not allow K-Electric to mint billions of rupees from the citizens in the name of overcharging. “We will further not allow K-Electric to carry out unannounced load shedding and avoid implementation on its agreement with the government,” he said, and directed the NAB officials to complete an inquiry against the power utility within three months. Earlier, PM Imran Khan has deferred the decision to increase the power tariff for the K-Electric consumers. The Economic Coordination Council (ECC) had decided to increase the power rate by Rs 2.79 per unit for K-Electric consumers. The prime minister also took notice of the unannounced loadshedding in Karachi. The meeting decided to increase K-Electric tariff in phases to bring it at par with other parts of the country to avoid any sudden additional burden on consumers. It also decided that all facts regarding K-Electric tariff should be made public. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed to formulate a comprehensive plan to provide relief to LPG consumers. He ordered to fix gas prices on a sustainable basis.