Karachi: Unannounced power outages put people's nerves to test

KARACHI: Residents of the city’s Korangi and Gulistan-e-Jauhar areas took to roads against prolonged power outages in their localities on Thursday night by setting tyres on fire in protest and suspending the traffic movement for hours.

The protesters complained that they continued to experience prolonged power outages amid hot temperature and during the holy month of Ramzan.

The protesters dispersed after city police assured them that the concerned authorities have taken notice of the protest and effective measures would be taken in this regard.

The other affected areas of the city were Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Safoora Goth, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Orangi, Metroville area, Pak-Colony, Landhi, Korangi and Malir area where residents witnessed hours-long power cut.

The rest of the province went through similar mental and physical agonies of  unannounced load-shedding coupled with sweltering weather. Power supply companies continued to carry out load-shedding throughout Sehri, Iftari and Tarveeh prayers timings across Sindh.

JI PROTEST IN FRONT OF K-ELECTRIC HEAD OFFICE 

Jamaat Islami (JI) protested in front of the city’s power distributor, K-Electric, head office. The JI activists were holding black flags in protest against prolonged and unannounced power outages in the city besides overcharging and other irregularities of the K-Electric.

More than 225 associations of traders have announced to support the JI protest.

Black flags as well as banners were also hoisted against the KE throughout the metropolis.

JI Karachi chief Engineer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, in a statement, said that campaign against the KE would be brought to its logical conclusion. He added the KE had crossed the limits of mismanagement and incapability. He further said that those claiming to make 61 percent of the city load-shedding free, had indeed pushed the entire city into darkness.

Naeem regretted that consumers had been forced to bear prolonged power outages even in the holy month of Ramazan, particularly during Iftar and Sehr.

“KE has plundered over Rs200 billion from Karachiites and has offered them only power load-shedding in return,” he said. He also accused the KE of running its power generation plants not at par with their capacities.