KARACHI, May 10: An extra high-tension line of 132 kilovolts developed a fault on Wednesday evening causing power breakdowns in Liaquatabad, parts of Nazimabad and the Federal B Area.
The spokesman for the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation said a conductor of the extra high-tension line carrying power from Haroonabad grid to Liaquatabad grid was dislodged at around 6:30pm.
Engineers and workers of the power utility reached the spot and were making efforts to repair the fault as soon as possible, he said.
Due to the fault, power supply to Liaquatabad, and parts of Nazimabad and the Federal B Area was suspended.
Meanwhile, as incidents of power failures multiplied, enraged people took to the streets blocking traffic and pelting stones at vehicles.
Incidents of people burning tyres and blocking traffic were witnessed in Liaquatabad where traffic on the bridge at Karimabad, which was blocked by furious consumers, was seen coming back.
The KESC spokesman had claimed that no power load-shedding was carried out in any locality and that power supply remained normal. All generating units generated power and the KESC had enough power to meet demands, he said.
However, people from various localities made frantic calls to newspaper offices about frequent power failures in their respective areas.
They said they had made numerous attempts to call the KESC’s complaint centres but either their calls were not attended or the respective phone lines remained busy.
The residents of Nazimabad, Block-4, said that power supply remained suspended throughout the day. Mohammad Ijlal said that frequent power breakdowns in his locality had badly disturbed the residents.
He said that power supply was restored hardly two to three hours throughout the day. However, power supply in front of his locality in the commercial area of Hadi Market and Mohammadi Market remained normal.
“It seems that the KESC is targeting only residential areas and not commercial areas,” he said in frustration.Another resident of the same area, Azhar, said that power supply was stopped at around 2pm and restored at 4:30pm. It was again disrupted at 6:30pm and was not restored until late night.
A woman from North Nazimabad, Block-I, said that daily power failures from three to four hours had become a routine. She said the people had expected the utility’s performance to improve after privatisation but it was performing its worst.
Shehla Fateh from Jamshed Road said residents from her locality had come fed up with frequent and prolonged power failures.
She said that sick people were the most vulnerable, who could not bear prolonged power failures in the hot and humid weather. Besides, children could not study and their future was at stake, as they were taking their final exams.
Tufail from Garden East said that power supply was suspended for three hours in the day in the localities on Edward Street, Manakjee Street and Vines Street. Power was again discontinued in the evening.Hira from North Karachi's, Sector-8, said that prolonged and intermittent power breakdowns in her locality had become a practice, adding that the KESC had made the life of citizens miserable.
She was surprised over the indifferent attitude of the provincial and federal governments, saying that newspapers and TV channels were continuously making a hue and cry on behalf of Karachiites about power failures but the legislatures had turned a deaf ear to public grievances.
People from North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Orangi Town, Landhi, Korangi, DHA and other areas also complained of power failures in their respective localities.
Meanwhile, the KESC spokesman said that localized faults had developed in various localities, which were immediately rectified and power restored in those areas.
He dispelled the impression about increase in the number of complaints about power failures this year, and defending the power utility said that localized faults had increased in the summer season when the usage of power increased.
He said from 15,000 to 18,000 complaints were lodged daily on an average in 36 complaint centres in 2002-03.
"Now, when the number of complaint centres have risen to 110, complaints about power failures have marked a considerable decline, ranging between 3,000 to 4,000 per day, which shows that the situation has improved," he concluded.
