ISLAMABAD    -   After number of public hue and cry the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has finally dispatched its facts finding team to Karachi and Hyderabad to report regarding the power supply failure and subsequent casualties. Nepra has dispatched a four-member team to visit Karachi in order to assess the factual position with regard to the failure of power supply by K-Electric/ HESCO and subsequent casualties and other problems caused by recent heavy rains, said spokesman of Nepra here. According the spokesman the team would start it working from Saturday and visit privatised K-Electric and state-run Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and would investigate to know the factual position that why huge breakdowns and human casualties under these companies occurred. It is worth mentioning that at least 20 people, including children were electrocuted to death in Karachi during the recent spell of monsoon rains started earlier this week. Following protest from the people against K-Electric, police on Friday has registered FIR against the power company’s Administration over electrocution of a man to death in recent rains at the provincial metropolitan. A 30-year-old Saad Ahmed was electrocuted in Paposh Nagar on July 29. Nepra had taken notice of power outages and human losses due to electrocution in the Karachi and sought a report on it.

In its notice Nepra said, “It is disturbing to note that the KE complaint centers were not responding to telephonic calls of consumers and therefore Nepra has directed KE to submit report about failure of its pre-emptive measures as the rain was expected. Nepra has also directed KE to take remedial measures for restoration of power supply at the earliest”. Responding to the Nepra notice K-Electric started the process of declaring force majeure from July 29 onward due to its inability to meet performance standards and contractual obligations because of circumstances beyond its control. In its reply to the power regulator K-Electric said that Rule 10 of the Nepra Performance Standards (Distribution) Rules, 2005 allows the company for taking such a step of declaring force majeure. The company said to submit a detailed report along with force majeure request within 14 days as allowed under Rule 10(3) of the Nepra rules.