KARACHI - The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has asked the airport managers in the country to beef up security.
A directive to this effect has been issued by Hamid Gardezi, principal director Airport Services.
A CAA spokesman said here on Friday that the PDAPS had advised all the airport managers of the country to beef up security at airports and ensure full coordination with the concerned security agencies at the airports along with the local administration.  The airport managers of joint user airports have also been asked to coordinate with the concerned authorities for enhancing security arrangement. Gardezi has also directed that Airports entry/exit point terminal building car parks navigational aids air and land side areas to be monitored with extra surveillance and alertness.
He also advised all Airport Managers, Airport security services Fire and Rescue services should exercise extra caution alertness.
Meanwhile, Karachi Electric Supply Company has expressed great concern over the approximate Rs4,400 per tonne increase in furnace oil price for second fortnight of current month as intimated by PSO, and said this would prove detrimental to the interests of both the power utility and its customers.
KESC stated that it was not in favour of any increase in the power tariff, but since the end-user tariff was a function of the primary input cost - Fuel, it is eventually passed on to the consumers.
Spiraling increase in power tariffs not only creates undue burden on the electricity consumers but also has an adverse impact on the bill recoveries and collections for the utility. The increase in furnace oil price hike is one of the core factors that would further adversely impact the per unit price of electricity, affect the customers’ budget as well as KESC’s financial load.
While reiterating the stance to reduce the power tariff to an affordable level, KESC said that burning of furnace oil to run power generation turbines, was out of lack of choice. As against the current requirement of 400 MMCFD of gas, KESC had been receiving around half of it. It is this short supply of natural gas to KESC, which translates into an increased reliance on the 370 per cent more expensive oil. KESC urged the government to resolve the gas allocation / supply issue as a top priority, since increase in gas supply to KESC to the required level would bring down the power tariff to an affordable level, with the ultimate beneficiary being the power consumers.