DADU: A large number of electricity consumer, including businessmen, traders and shopkeepers took out a rally on Friday against unannounced loadshedding running into a total of 16 hours a day in the town.

Participants in the rally, Gul Mohammad, Jan Mohammad and others, told the media outside the local press club that excessive loadshedding was not only affecting their business and routine work but also made their lives miserable.

They alleged that officials and workers of the the Wapda and Sepco Dadu-I and II sub-divisions were patronising power thieves by avoiding action against them for using illegal connections. They further alleged that these unscrupulous elements, actually responsible for the excessive loadshedding, were sending inflated bills to those consumers who were regularly paying their bills.

They demanded action against such elements, and said the top authorities of the power utility should take notice of the situation and curtail loadshedding hours in Dadu and its surrounding areas.