SHIKARPUR, May 31: The Shikarpur Small Traders Association has condemned what they called excesses of Hesco and announced to launch a protest campaign against the company for issuing inflated and detection bills and resorting to unannounced load-shedding. Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, association president Nisar Ahmad Memon, vice-president Agha Manzoor Khan Pathan, general secretary Afzal Mughal and other office-bearers accused officers of Hesco’s Shikarpur division of receiving gratification from power thieves.

They said a delegation of small traders had offered help to the executive engineer of Hesco, Shikarpur, to stop power theft.

They complained that the local Hesco management was creating problems for traders and businessmen, industrialists and general consumers in the city and rural areas by resorting to unannounced load-shedding for eight to 12 hours daily.

The traders said the load-shedding was affecting industrial production, leading to unemployment.