Privatisation of KESC â€" I

The difficulties the new management would face in introducing changes and improvements in the system were brought to the attention of those who were negotiating its sale. They were apprised of the problems and the resistance the management would face, including the reasons for the killing of Shahid Hamid, a former MD of KESC, who was brutally gunned down in broad daylight outside his house in Defence.

These observations were also presented to Mr. Frank Schmidt, a former MD, KESC in a HT’s ST Dialogue - ‘KESC Privatisation - Will It Benefit the Consumers? The speakers had stated that consumers should not be kept in the dark and must be given information about the privatisation process and how and when KESC would it improve its service and end the power crisis in the city.

Al-Jomiah group had failed to deliver, but all those involved in the ‘deal’ made hefty profits and commissions and laughed all the way to the bank. And now Abraaj Capital has stepped in.  So far, all privatisation ‘deals’ have been questionable and cloaked in secrecy and the citizens have lost confidence in the transparency of its process. Therefore Abraaj, as a socially responsible company that has nothing to hide, should make the terms and conditions of the ‘deal’ public.  

A day after the Dawn TV programme, I received a phone call from Farrukh Abbas, executive-director in Abraaj, who had also watched the TV programme and he invited me to visit their office in Dolmon Centre, where he would appraise me of their plans relating to KESC.

I visited them before the Eid holidays and met the top management of the group in Karachi and for over two hours they explained their plans in improving the services of KESC. I explained that Helpline Trust was just a platform to take up civic and consumer related issues and they would have to discuss their plans with the other members of the group.

However, as I have always stated earlier, KESC cannot address the power shortage alone. It will need the support of the city government, the industrialists and business community and the residents, who are also the stakeholders. We will all have to play our role as responsible citizens to help restore Karachi to its past glory of being the ‘City of Lights’, but more of that and the meeting with Abraaj next week.

E-mail: trust@super.net.pk