KARACHI, May 21: Impervious to criticism, the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation sat indolently on Wednesday as the citizens of the city silently suffered prolonged and intermittent power breakdowns.

While the power utility offered no explanations, let alone earnest apologies, one of the largest seats of learning in the country, the University of Karachi, remained without electricity the whole day.

In addition, many localities of the city suffered power cuts both in the day and at night.

The secretary of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society, Sarwar Naseem, told Dawn that both the teaching and residential sections of the campus had experienced a daylong power breakdown on Wednesday.

Mr Naseem said: “The power cut occurred in the dead of night and plunged the entire residential section of the University of Karachi into darkness. After daybreak we learnt that the teaching area on the campus was also without electricity. The power supply was resumed for a couple of minutes around 6am and 9am. Except for these brief intermissions, the campus remained without electrical power from morning to till the time I am talking to you, that is 8.15pm.”

A resident of Old Golimar said that of late his locality had been most affected by prolonged power cuts. “On Wednesday we lost our power supply around 7.30 in the morning. The electricity supply was restored about four in the afternoon. We had another spell of a two-hour-long power breakdown shortly afterwards.”

The resident recalled that such erratic power cuts had been occurring for the past five days. “Our locality suffered a daylong power breakdown on Sunday which resulted in power riots in our locality. Since Monday, we have been experiencing one power cut in the evening and one at night. Water to our locality comes at night, which is why we have also been facing a water shortage,” he regretted.

A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 4-A, said that his locality had been without electricity the previous night. “The power cut occurred at around 5am. Other blocks of Gulshan-i-Iqbal also experienced the nightlong power breakdown. The power supply was resumed around 2.30pm, after a period of nine and a half hours,” he said.

A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 6 told Dawn at 11.30pm that there had been no power supply in the area for the previous two hours. “When I rang up the relevant complaint centre, the man at the other end said there had been no power supply in many areas since morning. He said a large number of complainants had gathered at the centre to protest against the breakdowns.”

Other parts of Gulshan had also plunged into darkness at night.

Calling from Federal B Area, a resident said his area had also faced intermittent power breakdowns throughout the night. “The power cuts occurred so many times that we had no option but to head for the roof so that we could sleep peacefully,” he said.