K-Electric removes 1,300 illegal connections in Saddar crackdown

KARACHI: K-Electric has intensified its crackdown against electricity theft in the Saddar area of Karachi, removing more than 1,300 illegal connections, according to a company spokesperson.

During the operations, over 1,700 kilograms of wires used for power theft were confiscated, and around 1.45 million electricity units were secured from being stolen.

The spokesperson added that 88 percent of feeders in Saddar are now completely exempt from load-shedding. However, challenges remain in areas such as Bizarat Lines, Hijrat Colony, Railway Colony, and Sultanabad, due to high levels of power theft and outstanding dues.

K-Electric further revealed that outstanding dues in Saddar District have exceeded Rs 1.1 billion, which is a major obstacle in granting full exemption from load-shedding.

Also Read: K-Electric removes 290kg of illegal wires in Orangi Town

Earlier, the K-Electric (KE), in collaboration with law enforcement forces, had disassembled 81 illegal connections weighing a total of 290 kilograms in Orangi Town to stop electricity theft in Karachi.

The sub-areas that were targeted in the operation included Peerabad, Aligarh Market, Banaras Market, and Sathan Colony. Moreover, the operation also uncovered 53 cases of electricity theft through tampered meters.

One of the KE’s spokespersons said that the illegal connections were responsible for drawing off more than 157,000 units of electricity on an annual basis.

The area has outstanding dues exceeding PKR 1.6 billion, which has caused a significant financial impact.

The spokesperson highlighted that such unauthorised connections not only endanger public safety by bypassing standard operating procedures (SOPs) but also impose major damage on the utility networks.

As a part of K-Electric’s anti-theft campaign, this operation aims to decrease line losses, improve service reliability and stop electricity theft in Karachi.

The spokesperson mentioned that, at the moment, 70% of KE’s network is exempt from load-shedding. While areas that have high theft and non-payment concerns continue to face scheduled outages.

K-Electric repeated that restricting theft and ensuring bill payments on a timely basis are important steps toward achieving a load-shedding-free Karachi. In recent months, KE has strengthened its efforts citywide.