BADIN: The Taluka Headquarter Hospital of Matli, the second biggest town of Badin district, has been without electricity since the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) cut off its connection 19 days ago over non-payment of monthly bills.

According to local Hesco officials, the hospital’s medical superintendent told them that he was unable to pay the outstanding dues of Rs952,000. The company had to cut off power supply to the 30-bed hospital, they added.MS Dr Mohammad Ali Chang told Dawn on Sunday that the amount sanctioned by the Sindh government for payment of electricity bills for one fiscal year had already been paid to Hesco. It had paid Rs 815,000, he said, adding that now the power utility was sending incorrect bills which the hospital could not pay.

He said that for the last three weeks, he had been meeting Hesco people, from the executive engineer to a clerk, in Tando Mohammad Khan to get the bills corrected but in vain.

Dr Chang lamented that due to callous attitude of Hesco officials, hundreds of patients and doctors were made to suffer when the city was experiencing a record temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.

The MS said he had already informed the high-ups about the situation and was waiting for a response.

Protest

Workers of different political and social organisations in Matli continued their protest on Sunday against Hesco for disconnecting power supply to the hospital which, according to them, was catering to the medical needs of more than 400,000 people of the area.

They threatened to give a shutdown call if power supply was not restored within the next three days.

Citizen Action Committee president Mohammad Rafique Memon told Dawn that on the one hand, the Sindh government was going to give Matli the status of a district while on the other, the government departments of the town, including its hospital, had been left without electricity, practically non-functional.

He urged the higher authorities concerned to take notice of the situation and order an inquiry into the affair.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2014