KARACHI: Major power breakdown hits many areas of city
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, April 4: As hot winds blew across the city in the afternoon on Monday and as temperature soured to 40 degrees centigrade, the fragile KESC network broke down, and there were widespread complaints of power failures and voltage fluctuations. Citizens endured the agony caused by intermittent power failures and unannounced loadshedding in this hot and humid weather in parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B Area and PIB Colony.
People were of the view that either there was no response from the complaint centres, or unsatisfactory reply was given to consumers by the customer centres.
They said they got a poor response whenever they dialled Karachi Electric Supply Corporation complaint No 118.
The staff either did not give the complaint numbers or gave initial numbers to show that very few complaints have been received by them. In many case, area residents said although they lodged complaints with the area centres, electricity was not restored, they added.
A common complaint of the citizens was that in the absence of power supply, children, infants and patients were the hard hit as they could not bear the hot and humid weather.
People also complained that their amount in their electricity bills increased manifold despite the fact that breakdowns continued and they had been consuming less electricity.
A resident of Dhorajee Colony said that he kept on trying to dial 118 since the power was discontinued around 3pm. He managed to talk to the operator after a struggle of two hours who told him that a fault had developed in Gulshan Grid Station and a major area, including Dhorajee Colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Federal B Area, and PIB Colony, was without electricity. The operator told the consumer that it would be restored in one hour. However, he said the power supply was restored by 9pm.
A frustrated consumer from PECHS, Block 2, said the KESC suspended supply to their area in the evening around 3pm and it was restored by 9pm, after a spell of four hours.
An irate resident of Jacob Lines, opposite KDA office in Lines Area, said the power failures of two to three hours daily during nights have become a routine.
The residents of Federal ‘B’ Area in Blocks 17, 18 and 20, said there were intermittent breakdowns all the day. Major fluctuations in power supply also took place between 7am and 11am. They said the phone number 118 of KESC complaint cell remained busy or at sometime the bell remained ringing and nobody attended the call.
A resident of Block-16, Federal ‘B’ Area, said power remained disrupted for several hours.
A housewife from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 13-D, said power supply was switched off at 4pm and it remained off for several hours. The KESC did not announce any schedule of the power loadshedding and complaint number 118 was always busy.
A perturbed citizen of the Block-16, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, complained that the power supply was discontinued in the evening around 6:30pm and was not restored late night. She said 118 line was always busy. Attempts were also made on local complaint cell phone numbers 9243614, 4973634, and 4968377, but none of them was attended.
Residents of Gulistan-i-Jauhar complained that the power supply was disconnected in their area during the sizzling heat in the noon and it was restored after many hours in the evening. It was again discontinued by 7pm in many localities of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and was restored late night.
The residents of Orangi Town, Sector 7, 8, & 13, complained that the electricity was discontinued in the morning and was restored by the evening. Due to power failure, water supply to the area was also affected, the residents complained and added that it was always a routine of the KESC to exercise unannounced loadshedding disturbing the citizens.
