Much is being said about the electricity thieves these days and a media campaign worth billions of rupees is currently being run about those who wear suits yet dodge the electric meters. While there can be no disagreement with the fact that this kind of white-collared crime has been rampant, my question pertains to a claim that is part of this campaign. In the advertisement, the KESC claims that due to electricity-theft, those who pay the bills are also suffering from loadshedding. It is a fact that electricity-theft does cost KESC dearly, but is that really a fact too that only this theft is causing loadshedding? In December last year, for instance, the KESC had itself announced that the power shortfall had been reduced to some 300 to 400 mega watts while the demand was around 2100 MWs. The entire city was having a simultaneous loadshedding of around 3-4 hours on regular basis. Winter of 2007 was better than summers of 07, 08 and so was the winter of 09 as we used to say that the coming summer will be spent without electricity. This winter, though, we all seem to agree on the view that we are facing 3-4 hours loadshedding in winter but in summer we will probably get power supply for about the same, that is for 3-4 hours. Coming back to this campaign against electricity-theft, I believe the theft has gone down but the power shortage has gone up. I wonder whether the KESC can claim next summer that if there is no power theft, there will be no power shortage? I guess not. It must not make a fool out of people of Karachi and get down to utilizing the capacity available and tightening nuts and bolts of its systems as well as people that are drawing big salaries and doing nothing. The best advertisement for KESC, which would truly electrify its consumers, would be the one showing some of the KESC employees receiving termination letters for not doing enough to serve its consumers. -NAVEED BAIG, Lahore, February 18