KARACHI, May 31: The 11kv underground power cable that was damaged during the digging for the ongoing development work near Sohrab Goth suspending electricity supply to Federal B Area has been repaired.

The repair work had been completed by late Tuesday night but the intermittent power failures continued during the night and throughout the day on Wednesday.

KESC Officials said that the cable had sustained damage during the work on the laying of a water line. Engineers and other staff of the power utility got it repaired. They said that the areas affected by disruption in power supply on this account had been provided electricity under alternative arrangements. After the cable was repaired, normal supply was restored but the changeover from alternative to normal supply caused some interruption, they added.

A spokesman for the KESC said that the power supply situation in the city remained normal on Wednesday and the power utility did not need to carry out loadshedding. He said that the power demand was met accordingly. Localised faults had been fixed wherever they developed, he added.

However, people from various areas complained of intermittent and prolonged power failures in their localities.

Mr Imran, a resident of Federal B Area, Block-17, said that the power went off at around 3:30am and it came back after a pause of 90 minutes. The power failures spanning 15 minutes to a half an hour continued intermittently throughout the day. Similarly, a resident of Block-12, said that power went off at around midnight and was restored at 2:30am.

Jamal Ahmed, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Block16 A, said that power went off at 12:30am and came back at 2am. It went off again during the day for two hours, he added.

A consumer from Jamshed Road said that power went off at around 11am and was restored after four hours. Prolonged power failures and voltage fluctuation were a routine and the KESC officials cited one or the other reasons for the situation instead of improving the system, he said.

Another consumer Adnan Razi from Defence Society Phase II extension said that the power supply was disrupted twice in the morning for two hours each.

Power supply to the Civil Hospital and Jinnah Hospital was also suspended for one-and-a-half hour on Wednesday creating problems for patients.