KARACHI, Feb 24: Power failures continued to occur on Monday as the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation failed to explain why the city was experiencing electricity shutdowns despite the fact that summer was still away.
KESC consumers calling from different localities said they wondered why the power utility had done nothing to upgrade its transmission and distribution network during winter when load on it had been low. They added that if the power breakdowns occurred at this frequency in spring the situation would be very bad in summer.
Sources in the power utility said the KESC centralized complaint centre had received complaints of power failure from Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Korangi, Federal B Area, North Karachi, Abbysinia Line, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, New Karachi and Saddar.
One very irate Shoaib Khan called from North Karachi, Sector 11-B, and said he wanted to protest the high-handedness of the KESC staff in the strongest possible words. “It is so irritating to dial the telephone number of my localized complaint centre only to find that it is perpetually engaged. What is the point of making this number public if it remains in the use of KESC officials all the time?” he wondered.
A resident of North Nazimabad, Block A, said his locality, as well as Block H, had been without electricity for a couple of hours on Monday morning. He added that he had called the centralized complaint centre, better known as 118, to register his complaint.
A caller from PECHS, Block 2, said that frequent power shutdowns had forced them to stay awake the previous night.
A resident of Saddar told Dawn that his area had faced at least two but brief power shutdowns on Monday.
A resident of North Nazimabad, Block L, said his locality had faced two power breakdowns between three o’clock the previous night and morning.
A caller from Gulistan-i-Jauhar said his locality had faced a couple of breakdowns since morning.
Another resident from the same area said: “It is unethical on the part of the KESC not to announce a loadshedding schedule if it must deprive city areas of power supply.”
