KARACHI, April 16: Prolonged power breakdowns continued to torment Karachiites on Monday and the power utility failed to overcome the power crisis in the metropolis. Some of the complainants said they experienced breakdowns spanning more than two hours twice or thrice during daytime while many others said they suffered a two-hour power suspension the previous night. Students were the worst sufferers as they faced hardships in preparing for their examinations.

Consumers from Baghdadi, Musa Lane, Nawabad, Lee Market, Kharadar complained of intermittent power cuts throughout the day. They said there was no schedule for load shedding which, they said was more troublesome.

A complainant from Defence Phase-1 criticised the KESC officials for, what she described, poor power supply, adding that the officials of KESC should at least announce the schedule for load shedding.

Another consumer from Malir City said frequent power cuts in the locality were a routine matter. Power consumers from Tariq Road, Shahrah-i-Quaideen, Baloch colony, PECHS, Hill Area, Karsaz, Saddar, Lines Area, Kalapul and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Federal B Area, North Karachi Water Pump Chowrangi, Jamshed Road, Clayton Quarters, I.I Chundrigar Road, Gulistan-i-Johar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, and Bahadurabad said that power supply to the localities got suspended for 2 to 3 hours for several times during day and night.

Residents of Orangi Town said that power supply to the localities was suspended at 11am and restored at 12.45pm. They said it was again suspended at 2pm and was restored at 5pm. Residents of Muslimabad Landhi, and Haroonabad SITE Town also complained of power failure.

Shopkeepers from Light House, Aram Bagh, Pakistan Chowk and Regal Saddar said the increase in load shedding was causing huge financial loss to the businessmen, “we have to wind up early in the evening as there is no schedule of load shedding and the use of generators is causing suffocation in the congested markets”, they said.

A KESC spokesman, when contacted, said that a one and a half hour load shedding was being observed during day and night. He said efforts were under way to overcome the power shortage as soon as possible and work on over hauling of power generators was also in progress.

To a question, he said, Unit No 4 of Bin Qasim Power Station was expected to start functioning in April, but it was delayed due to some technical reasons and would hopefully start function in May. He said load shedding was a compulsion of the power utility in order to save the supply system from tripping. He asked consumers to avoid use of unnecessary electric appliances in the prevailing situation.