Should we burn down KESC?
I have a radical idea for Karachi and its citizens. For one, I think KESC is all crap now after Musharraf and company (specially his darling PM, Shaukat) sold this fine organization to a private company for peanuts. No external or internal audit reports have ever been shared with citizens who pay their blood to keep this outfit afloat. Yet it dismisses us all like we are beggars. So, ladies and gentlemen of Karachi, should be burn down KESC? I am sure we should. It is of no use; it fleeces honest men and provides electricity free of cost to VVIPs, VIPs, brothers and sisters of PM; it also does not help when it fails to dis-connect illegal connections; and since last two nights I and my family and millions of others have not slept well. Karachi is in crises and we need someone else to bring us electricity.
By the way, which should be the first KESC office to go down?
If this is a joke, its not funny.
Violence isn’t the solution to anything.
This is a social comment. I am not willing to burn down things just because we want to change certain ideas and specifics. The point here is that we want to change KESC and get something else. My blog is a metaphor.
Understand the difference!
Too late explanation Hamza, I already sent few guys out to burn the KESC office. You would soon find the news.
My blog is a "metaphor", man I am cracking up. Thanks for that.
How about starting with the governor house, and cm house following suit.
i am sorry to say but we people of Karachi are expert in burning down things, burning humans, burning vehicles, burning buildings, burning public/private property, we always start thinking in a negative way, what would be the benefit of burning down kesc? will it help solving load shedding problem?
how about "burning" all centers simultaneously to create a world record!
PS: my comment is just a "metaphor" something what Allama Mohammed Iqbal has pointed out, when he said:
jis khait say deh-kaan ko ma-yas-sar na ho roti
us khait kay har kho-sha-aeey gandam ko jala do
but on a more "practical" note , we may think about installing solar panel on the roof of our houses as they will not only generate electricity but,will also reduce heating of roofs during day time resulting in much cooler temperature at night .
dexter: regarding solar panels: one would need atleast an acre of land to keep power up his small 2 bed apartment.
cyrenity, I sort of disagree with area requirements you are talking about.
1 acre = 4046.85642 sq meters which is HUGE.
I totally agree with the fact that it is not feasible to distribute Solar generated power across wider area because of low voltage, but I was talking about small units that WILL not replace the power you buy from Grid but lessen the dependency.
For example, a 2 bed room apartment might want to generate enough to power 3 fans + 3 light bulbs + 1 refrigerator and TV(depends if your local "cable wala" is equipped with UPS), and a combination of following panels will certainly need much less space :)
http://www.solarpanelstore.com/solar-power.large-solar-panels.solarworld_sw.sw_175.info.1.html
PS: Yes the initial cost is high , but it is one of few "available" options and that is why I had brought this up.
@cyrenity and dexter….fianlly good to see some constructive feedback here…good luck to both of you!!!
Solar panels are a good idea. If people can spend on UPS and Generators why not spend some on solar panels. I have seen here in USA, there are so many communities which are running on solar panel. Individually people have installed the system on their terraces. And now they are partially dependent on the electric companies. Some one should start solar paneling in Karachi. Start on a small scale but do something.
Googling for "Solar Panel in Pakistan" resulted in quite a few entries.
one of them is:
http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/byC/Pakistan/byP/solar/pvM/pvM.shtml
if you scroll down, then at number two there is a company called Nascom which claims to be a dealer of Tata. I guess if someone need more information , its worth giving them a try mainly because "Tata" is a major player and I am sure their products will be "priced" and "manufactured" in accordance with local(India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) requirements/conditions.
They(Tata) are also working with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh to bring electricity to rural areas of Bangladesh and that project is proving to be a BIG success.
This posts tells you the HIGH LEVEL bloggers KMB has recruited to do the job :) BRAVO :d
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
LIKE WHAT? DOES IT OCCUR TO YOU THAT PEOPLE WOULD GET HURT? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR BROTHER/SISTER/FATHER/MOTHER/SON WORKED FOR KESC? YOU THINK ITS THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERES FAULT? DOES IT OCCUR TO YOU THAT THESE PEOPLES ALSO HAVE JOBS THERE? WHAT ID SOMEONE BURNT DOWN YOUR OFFICE AND THEY DISPLACED YOU? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?
YOU ARE INHUMANE TO EVEN THINK OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
oh and Ameer Hamzah, your blog is NOT a metaphor. Its crap, to put it in less abusive terms.
Here is today’s report published in Dawn:
Overloaded KESC transformers may aggravate power crisis
‘KARACHI, Aug 6: While Karachiites continue to suffer power outages of more than two hours at least thrice a day due to a shortfall of 250 megawatts, there are apprehensions that Karachi might soon plunge into darkness due to burning out of most of the 112 transformers installed in the Karachi Electric Supply Company’s 46 grid stations which are operating at capacity much higher than the specified international safety standards.
Sources said 31 transformers at some grid stations were operating at 100 per cent capacity against the international standard of 70 per cent. Twenty-one transformers were operating at 90 per cent capacity while 25 were functioning at 80 per cent. Only 13 transformers were operating at 70 per cent. These transformers are of 30 to 40 MVA capacities.
Because of operating at much higher level of international safety standards, these transformers, insiders fear, may burn out and result in a total collapse of the KESC transmission and distribution system, as was witnessed on the day the city received the first monsoon showers, causing widespread losses.’
Good GOD!
Well, rather than burn down KESC… I would suggest we burn down the houses of those higher officials who run the KESC, flood their homes with water and put live electric wires in them, and that too from a kunda system. Every now and then they raise the tariffs and still they are not satisfied with that, so they send inflated bills to us consumers. I myself have been experiencing this bullshit of KESC for past 4 years and have sent numerous applications to the subgrid station of my area, yet to no avail… The KESC guys deserve a severe beating and lashings by these high voltage wires… I say hang them and torture them to death or till they start to manage things the way they need to be managed.
My post is not a metaphor and I literally mean each and every word of it.
Check this news report out, as Ramadan approaches:
KESC facing financial crisis, fails to overcome load shedding
KARACHI (August 26 2008): In a complete hierarchical disorder Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) is unable to overcome electricity load shedding, which has hit the city badly particularly for the last five days because of its declining financial status, sources said on Monday.
For corporation, it is unlikely to provide undisrupted electricity during the holy month of Ramazan. Karachiites are likely to suffer persistent load shedding at the time of Iftar (evening) and Saheri (early morning) besides the routine electricity cut, they added.
A KESC official on the basis of anonymity told Business Recorder that there is nothing clear that what will be the situation even a day later and it is difficult to assess the capability of the corporation during the Ramazan. Presently, KESC carries out load shedding every two hours after a two hours gap in its four zones. Besides the unannounced load shedding taking place every few minutes.
Banks have also declined to issue letter of credit (LC) to the corporation for its deteriorating financial condition. It had to import parts and other equipment for installing new grid stations in the city as the old ones have completed their operational life, they pointed out. The corporation has some 46-grid stations in the city, which are overloaded. To shed additional load from them, KESC has to install transformer of 30-40 MW electricity, which is impossible for it for dearth in finance, they maintained.
A probable candidate for the slot of MD is Ismail Naveed, however, he has not yet assumed charge, sources said, adding that at present, the KESC runs without its CFO and MD, since the former MD had resigned a month ago, they added. In the absence of MD, the KESC executive directors and directors seem to be enjoying no responsibility, they said and maintained that no serious effort from the top officials are being made to sort out load shedding problem.
Presently, the KESC is running short of over 600 MW electricity against the demand of over 2000 MW. Three units at Bin Qasim thermal plant are ceased, while two at Korangi station. Supply from the defence power plant to KESC, which is 75 MW has also suspended. However, Wapda is providing 600-700 MW electricity without a respite, sources said.
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