June 25, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 20, 1429

HYDERABAD, June 24: A serious situation developed in the residential colony of thermal power station of Jamshoro as the employees of the power house went on strike on Tuesday following the disconnection of power supply to about 1,000 consumers of the colony by Hesco on Monday.

Sources at the power house said that Hesco authorities had disconnected power supply to the colony. The employees staged a sit-in at the power house on Monday against the disconnection and another sit-in outside the office of the CEO of the power house on Tuesday.

A leader of the All Pakistan Powerhouses Administration Committee, Anwar Shaikh Lodhi, told Dawn that Hesco had registered a case at Jamshoro police station against more than 100 residents of the colony whereas a counter case was also registered by the residents against the Hesco authorities.

The executive engineer of Kotri, Akbar Durrani, when contacted by Dawn said that an amount of Rs6 million was outstanding against the residents of colony and when the Hesco officials went to disconnect power supply, they were attacked and an FIR had been registered at Jamshoro police station.

The source said that an amount of Rs27.2 million was also outstanding against the Jamshoro power house.

Latest reports said that the power supply was restored to the colony at midnight on Monday following the protest.