MIRPURKHAS, April 11: Industrial production, business activities and normal civic life have been affected in southern Sindh by frequent and prolonged power outages for the past 15 days, it was learnt on Friday.

Sources said that Hesco officials had been unable to replace the worn power supply infrastructure, including the old power lines, adding that Hesco had also been unable to curb its exorbitant line losses.

Most of the areas, it was learnt, remained without electricity for periods ranging between three to eight hours on a daily basis as power supply had to be suspended to cover the line losses.

Suspension of power supply, sources said, also affected patients in the government and private hospitals.

Areas, which were hit by frequent power breakdowns, included Mirpurkhas, Mirwah, Jhuddo, Samaro, Kunri, Naokot, Umerkot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Pithoro, Dhoro Naro, Shadi Palli, Diplo, Mithi, Islamkot, Nagarparkar, Chhachhro, Khipro, Sindhri, Kandayri, Ratanabad, Sultanabad, Pyaro Lund, Khawaja Stop and Patyoon.

When contacted, Hesco officials said that power supply was suspended from the Hala grid station because of a fault while maintenance work was being carried out at several places causing prolonged power suspension.

Meanwhile, president of the Mirpurkhas Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khan Abdul Khalique Khan and vice president Abdul Ghafoor Mahar, in a joint statement condemned disruption in power supply and blamed the Hesco authorities for frequent power breakdowns, saying it was a bid to cover line losses.

Businessmen, they said, had to suffer major financial losses because of power failures while the breakdowns had also affected industrial production.

They threatened to launch a protest campaign if the breakdowns persisted for much longer periods of time.

PHONE LINES: Replacement of 900 telephone lines in different areas of the town had been started, said Mohammad Aslam Shaikh, Assistant Engineer, Telephone, the other day.