Outages disrupt life in Thar towns

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MITHI, Oct 8: Eight to ten hours of daily load management in small rural towns are apt to slap deadly blow not only to business and economic activities but also on all spheres of life, creating rampant unemployment, especially among daily wagers and part timers.

Residents of Tharparkar district are facing this scenario which brings along with it other allied miseries. Scores of daily wagers used to earn their living by working at chakkis in previous years but now their numbers have dwindled to a few as these remain non-operational most of the time due to power shutdown, said Poonjo Meghwar, an affected labourer.

A vocalist, Karim Faqir lamenting the power outage schedule from 3.30am to 5.30am and then again from 9pm to 11.30pm said that besides electricity issue there was another dilemma of mosquitoes as towns and villages of Thar have not been fumigated since last many years. These excruciating creatures deprive the residents of sound sleep along with increasing the instances of malaria, skin diseases and other ailments.

A tailor who employed six men to assist him in this profession had to let go four as they had become redundant in the absence of electricity.

Its not only tailors or chakki owners who are milling in power woes, equally hit are washer-men, saw mills owners, wielders, mechanics, ice factory owners and embroiderers.

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