DADU, Jan 13: Unannounced load-shedding of electricity by the Hesco for ten hours almost on daily basis has severely affected routine life in different towns of the district besides hitting hospitals, businesses and industrial units.

The owners of flour mills and chakkis, already facing people’s wrath amid shortage of the commodity, were unable to grind wheat which has further multiplied the crises.

The patients at private and government hospitals also experienced hardship where a number of operations were either rescheduled or postponed. Besides Dadu town, Hesco authorities also carried out load-shedding in Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Johi, Sehwan, Jamshoro and Kotri talukas.

The General Surgeon of Civil Hospital Dadu, Dr Mohammad Qasim Lashari, said that owing to load-shedding a number of operations were postponed, and necessary operations were carried out with the help of generators, most of which were insufficient to sustain the load creating problems for the doctors and staff.

The General Secretary of Flour Mills Association Dadu chapter, Sikandar Hussain Lakhair, said that flour mills were grinding wheat flour for only two instead of 12 hours daily. He said that prolonged load-shedding was affecting grinding of wheat.

The district president of Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Ghulam Shah Malkani, complained that businessmen, shopkeepers and industries were incurring losses due to unscheduled load-shedding. He said that business class and shopkeepers were paying bill every month but officials were switching-off power supply to the city. He demanded of federal minister for water & power and Chairman Wapda to take notice of the situation and ensure regular power supply.

President of citizen welfare association, Gul Mohammad Joyo, said that due to unannounced load- shedding, the citizens were facing water crises.

Our Mirpurkhas Correspon-dent adds: A daily eight-hour loadshedding has badly affected the business activities in several parts of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar districts while water supply was also disrupted during power outages.Hospital sources said that emergency operations were also put off due to loadshedding.

Atta chakkis and small businesses like photo-copiers, mobile shops, general stores, petrol pumps and etc. were the adversely affected concerns. Their sales were reduced manifolds.After the sunset, the cities and towns plunge into darkness.

Shopkeepers were compelled to use generators to run their businesses. Sewerage pumping stations of taluka municipal administrations did not work during loadshedding.

Mirpurkhas Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Abdul Khaliq Khan condemned the power outages and called upon the Wapda and Hesco chiefs to take notice of it.

He said businessmen were suffering losses owing to loadshedding and urged the authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply otherwise they would launch protest campaign.