KARACHI, May 19: There was no electricity in most parts of the city during the past 24 hours as the KESC failed to uplift its generation which is getting saturated day by day. With saturating generation capacity the KESC was producing just a little over 1000 MW whereas the demand had surged beyond 2200 MW. The KESC hoped that the situation would ease a little between 7pm and midnight when it would be receiving up to 700 MW from WAPDA.

A frantic call was received from an elderly lady from Gulistan-i-Jauhar, who said she was suffering from kidney ailment. She was in all sorts of pain in the suffocating heat. Her problems were compounded due to power outage and callous attitude of the KESC staff in the complaint centre. They were simply not responding

A resident from Defence Phase-II complained there was no electricity since 8am. The KESC complaint centre staff said that they had dug out the cable which had been laid on a residential plot. Till filing of this report he was without electricity.

Sana, a student of Karachi University, was cursing the KESC as she could not concentrate properly on her studies for the ongoing exams. She said: “Our scientists should find out alternative source of energy to keep all the electrical gadgets operation. Perhaps the KESC officials would start selling candles and lanterns because they have failed to produce thermal power,” she remarked.

While businessmen and traders complained of loosing business, housewives and children seem to be the worst affected segment of society because they have to remain indoors most of the time.

Nasreen, a housewife from Nazimabad, complained that her children had fallen ill due to suffocation as her apartments experience hours-long power outages daily. She said the power cuts had left the residents without water. She criticized the power utility and held it responsible for her plight.

Besides students, housewives, children and traders, the power crisis hit daily-wage earners working in different industries.

Meanwhile, the KESC announced that power supply to several areas may suffer interruption on Sunday due to high voltage testing of new 132 KV GIS bays at KDA Scheme Grid Station.The areas which may get affected include Surjani Town, SITE, Orangi Town, Al-Hira Pumping Station, Disco More Pumping Station, F.B. Area and KDA Pumping Station.