January 22, 2008
WITH reference to your editorial, ‘Conservation by all’, I would like to bring to your notice a little known fact. While it is well-known that about half of the KESC’s production is stolen, the utility company does not know (or ignores the fact) that a significant amount is stolen by those living in the slums. I know two clerks and a peon, each of whom has two airconditioners and a deep freezer, yet their meter does not register consumption of more than Rs200 a month. For this miracle, they have to pay Rs100 every month to the local lineman, who has rigged their meters to record only a tenth of the units consumed. And this is happening in thousands of homes and factories in kutchi abadis all over the city. For obvious reasons, the KESC would be reluctant to rectify this situation, as doing so would affect most of their employees. Naturally, under these circumstances, the last thing the power thieves are concerned about is conservation of electricity.
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
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