April 06, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1429

HYDERABAD, April 5: Daily wagers are affected due to non-supply of electricity in Nishat Bangle Market, the only and largest market of its kind. They protested against Hesco’s failure to provide new transformer.

Around 200 shops are located on ground floor and upper storey of the market which is without power supply for last 22 days ever since the transformer connected to Hesco’s Ilyasabad sub-division developed fault. The transformer is out of order and needs replacement.

Daily wagers working at shops owned by wholesalers are not getting wages as shopkeepers are not running their business as usual. The market is located in city taluka of the district and traders from all over the country and even from Afghanistan come here to purchase bangles.

Shopkeepers shuttered their shops on Friday and Saturday. According to them they are facing the brunt because of non-supply of electricity as designing, sifting and packing of bangles is being badly affected. “We are not able to show different samples of bangles to customers and traders who arrive here from Afghanistan and Punjab”, said Abdul Waheed Siddiqui, who led the protest of shopkeepers and labourers today.

He said around 200 shops, big or small, are located in the market where transformer needed replacement but Hesco’s Ilyasabad sub-division is least concerned about their plight.

The bangle dealers said when the transformer first developed the fault, they paid Rs7,000 to concerned Hesco employees and it started working. But shortly afterwards it again got busted and the market remained without electricity. The fault was again rectified and then again, perhaps couldn’t bear the load.

“Now Hesco officials are asking us to submit Rs75,000 demand note and only then the transformer would be replaced”, Siddiqui added. He wondered as to why they should pay the demand note as it is Hesco’s job to change transformer because shopkeepers pay their bills regularly. He said shopkeepers are made to pay detection bills as well.

Bangle workers and shopkeepers also called on MQM’s MNA from the area Salahuddin at MQM’s zonal office and briefed him about their problem. The MNA spoke to Superintending Engineer of Hesco. He asked him to replace the transformer at their own cost because shopkeepers are not supposed to pay for it.