KARACHI, June 13: The transmission and distribution system of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation showed no signs of improvement on Friday as many localities faced power breakdowns.

Sohail Akhtar, a resident of PECHS, Block 2, said his locality experienced a three-hour power cut on Friday.

“When I called the 118, I was told that the KESC was resorting to loadshedding. When I told the 118 telephone attendant that the KESC had announced on Thursday that there would be no loadshedding, he said he was not aware of that. The telephone attendant further informed me that the KESC resorted to loadshedding whenever it faced a power shortage.”

Calling from Paradise Cottages on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, a resident said his locality faced a four-hour-long power breakdown on Thursday night.

“Whenever we have a power breakdown at night, I know that the KESC will take a long time to rectify it. The staff of the power utility do not seem to work at night. It is, however, interesting that the telephone numbers of the localized complaint centre remain engaged all night as it the staff are working round-the-clock.”

A resident of North Nazimabad, Block A, told Dawn that his locality faced a recurring fault — breakdown of one of the three phases — over the past one week. “This is a fault which keeps on occurring in our locality. One power phase keeps breaking down. We lodge our complaints with our complaint centres and with the centralized complaint centre called 118. The KESC vehicles do not show up during the day. They hardly ever come to our locality at night.”

Sources working in various complaint centres of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation told Dawn that they had received complaints from Federal B Area, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Lyari, Kharadar, Sharafabad, Sindhi Muslim Society, PECHS, Korangi, and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, mostly in the early hours of Friday.

Waseem, a resident of Defence Phase VII, Lane No 14, said his locality had been suffering from power breakdowns for the last several weeks. Moreover, fluctuations have made the lives of people miserable as many equipment in their homes have gone out of order.

Shoaib Ahmed, a resident of Federal B Area, Block 18, said that in addition to power breakdowns, his locality also had to suffer low voltage. “Even when our fan is running at the full speed, it moves very slowly because the voltage is very low. It is actually so low that tubelights do not turn on.”

CM’S ORDER: Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Khan Maher has ordered officials of the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation (KESC) to ensure immediate reduction in loadshedding to reduce miseries and hardships faced by the people of Karachi, adds PPI.