01 January 2005	Saturday	19 Ziqa'ad 1425

VEHARI, Dec 31: Friday's rain which is a welcome relief for the countryside hit by water shortage badly affected civic life throughout the Punjab.

Over 300 electricity meters burnt in various parts of the Vehari district because of the poor quality of wires. The Mepco had removed meters from outside the houses and shops and installed on electric polls about a year ago.

Consumers complained that Mepco contractors had used substandard wires and installed their meters without covering them properly. More than 1,000 electric meters have burnt due to seasonal rains during the last one year.

Owing to the burnt metres, various localities, including Madina Colony, 9-11/WB, Muslim Town, Danywal, Karampur, Luddan, Machiwal area, remained without electricity the whole night. A source in the Mepco said that electric metres were not available in the Vehari Circle as hundreds of applications for new power meters were still lying pending.

The Vehari XEN was not available in his office when he was tried to contact for recording his comments. Some areas, including Karampur and Madina Colony, were still without electricity till the filing of this report.

BAHAWALPUR: Rain affected a number of low-lying localities and choked the sewerage system in many parts of the city. The Met office recorded over 50mm rain on Friday.

Residents of low-lying areas, including Shahdra Basti and Mohajir colonies, were the worst affected. Sewerage lines in Satellite Town and its adjacent localities were choked and overflowing gutters created hardships for the residents.

The power supply and telephone system remained disrupted in various parts of the city adding miseries to the people. As per reports, the Cholistan desert also received rain on Thursday which helped accumulate rain water in ponds and 'tobas' at various places.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Rain which started in the evening on Thursday continued with intervals all the day on Friday. It was still raining till the filing of this report.

The rain resulted in the disruption of electricity supply and telephone system besides inundating low-lying localities of the district headquarters. Rain water also entered the PTCL exchange through manholes.

MULTAN: The Met office on Friday recorded 30.9mm rain in Multan, adds APP. It predicted thunderstorm and rain during the next 24 hours in Multan and its suburban areas.

On Friday, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 16.2 Celsius and 11.5 degree Celsius, respectively. Humidity was recorded at 100 per cent in the morning at 8.00am and 78 per cent in the evening at 5.00pm.