KARACHI, May 18: People staged a sit-in and lit bonfire in Liaquatabad in protest against a prolonged power breakdown as an exposed extra high-tension line of 132 KV developed fault on Thursday morning, suspending power supply to a vast area in the city.

People took to the street soon after sunset and pelted moving vehicles with stones. They blocked vehicular traffic on S. M. Taufeeq Road, between Teen Hatti Bridge and the Karimabad flyover, with bonfire raising slogans against the KESC. Due to the disturbances, Teen Hatti, Nishtar Road, Karimabad, Liaquatabad No.10 and other roads around the troubled area witnessed traffic jams.

TPO Liaquatabad Latif Siddiqui said that people were fed up with the prolonged power failure and they took to the street to give vent to their anger. He said that police intervened to bring the situation under control without making arrests. People dispersed after the power supply was restored in the area.

The fault developed in the overhead high-tension line near Abdullah Government Girls College in North Nazimabad. The high-tension line carries power from Haroonabad grid station in Site area to Liaquatabad grid station. Repair work on the line was initiated soon after the fault had developed. However, it had to be stopped at least for four hours for security reasons due to VVIP movement near the college.

While the repair work was under way, the police and other law enforcement agencies on duty ordered the KESC engineers and staff to put off the work and remove cranes and equipment. They were allowed to resume the work only after the VVIP left the area.

Subsequently, the repair work was completed at 9pm and the affected areas were energized some 15 minutes later.

A spokesman for the KESC said that the fault that had developed in the cable between Haroonabad and Liaquatabad grids, had caused suspension in power supply to Liaquatabad, parts of Nazimabad and North Nazimabad, Federal Capital Area, and parts of Federal B Area. He said that the fault had been rectified and normal supply restored in the affected areas.

A resident of Nazimabad No.4 said that power supply to his locality was suspended at around 10am and was not restored until late in the night.

A resident of Block-3, Federal B Area said that the power supply to the area discontinued at around 10am and resumed at 9:15pm.

Consumers from Korangi crossing and Metroville-III also complained of prolonged and intermittent power failures and said that KESC officials kept telling them that the situation was caused by ‘faults’.

A consumer from North Nazimabad’s Block-H said that intermittent power failures continued whole the night between Wednesday and Thursday, forcing residents of the area to spend a sleepless night. The KESC officials could not give a reason for the frequent disruption in power supply.