K-Electric (KE) has disconnected power to several Pakistan Railways colonies and installations over unpaid electricity bills amounting to Rs430 million.
The Karachi-based electricity supplier has stated that continuing to provide power without payment is no longer sustainable, despite repeated reminders and promises from Pakistan Railways to settle the outstanding dues.
Nasir Khalili, Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Karachi, said the situation has worsened, leading to power cuts in important areas. This disruption has significantly affected train services, including halting online ticket booking and impacting 38 daily passenger trains running from Karachi. Khalili added that the Karachi division generates Rs50-60 million in revenue for Railways every day.
Khalili also said that KE owes Railways Rs70 billion in unpaid dues over the past decade. He warned KE that Railways would take further action, including withholding bill payments, if the power issue continues.
Earlier, KE had said that it would restore power if Railways made promises to clear the outstanding bills and pay monthly bills on time. However, KE stated that these promises have not been kept despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue.