June 03, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1429

QUETTA, June 2: Northern and central parts of Balochistan, including Quetta, plunged into darkness after power supply from the Guddu power plant was suspended on Monday evening.

A major fault developed in the 220KV Guddu-Sibi-Quetta transmission line because of heavy rain and thunderstorm which lashed Nasirabad and Jaffarabad areas.

“Power supply was suspended to a vast area of the province, including Quetta, because of the fault in the transmission line,” Shafiq Khattak, chief executive of the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco), told Dawn.

He said that Qesco engineers were trying to repair the fault.

There were reports that a huge power pylon of the 220KV transmission line between Nasirabad and Sibi areas had been blown up.

However, government and Qesco officials denied the reports. “No power pylon has been blown up,” Mr Khattak said.

After about six hours of breakdown, arrangements were made to provide electricity to some parts of Quetta from Habibhullah Coastal, a private power plant in the city. However, the supply to northern and central parts of the province could not be restored till late night.