May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

NAUSHEHRO FEROZE, May 7: Activists of Awami Tehrik and Wood Workers Association took out a rally against the officials of Hyderabad Electric Company (Hesco) and also observed a token hunger strike in Moro on Wednesday.

Several activists of Awami Tehrik, Sindhiani Tehrik and Wood Workers Association, led by Khan Mohammad Soomro, Latif Rahu, Shahid Soomro and Ms Faiza, took out a rally from Gachero road and after marching on different roads and converged opposite the press club where they observed a token hunger strike for three hours. They were raising slogans against Moro-based Hesco officials.

They alleged that the industries, lathe machinists and influential people were using electricity without meters in connivance with the Hesco officials. They maintained that line losses occurred due to illegal power supply to influential people while detection and inflated bills were being issued to people.

One of the protesters alleged that the Hesco handed him over a detection bills of Rs12,000 and the authorities agreed to correct and allowed him to pay the monthly bill. He said that even after paying the bill, the Hesco official disconnected his power supply on Thursday. When he tried to convince the Hesco officials, they called in the police and he, along with some others, was arrested and later released on an assurance to reconcile the matter through negotiation.

The token strike ended on the assurance of the taluka nazim.

The SDO Hesco Moro, Zulfiqar Ali Memon told, however, said that under the instruction of the higher authorities, they were recovering dues and Khan Mohammad had also to pay the bill. The SDO said that a non-cognisable report was lodged against him and others at Moro police station as they were creating hindrances in performing official duties.