KARACHI, June 22: An unrelenting heatwave dealt a shattering blow to the fragile network of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation which collapsed again in almost all the localities of the city on Wednesday.

Irate consumers called to express their anger at what they described as the inefficiency of the KESC staff who failed to respond to complaints. They also criticized the army for doing nothing since they took over the power utility in May 2001. They hoped that the new buyer of the KESC would get rid of its inefficient staff and introduce accountability in the power utility.

Calling from Bahadurabad, a consumer said his locality lost electricity at midnight.

“And our power supply was restored after 13 hours at around 1pm on Wednesday. We live in apartments which are, like most apartments in Karachi, ill ventilated. Life without electricity could be one hell,” he observed.

A resident of Saddar, Shahrah-i-Liaquat, called to say that her locality lost its power supply at night. “For the past four days we lose our electricity at night. And the power supply is restored in the morning. Today has been no exception. Our electric supply broke down at around 9pm and if experience is any guide, it will come back at 5am,” she said.

Calling from Sindhi Muslim Society, Block A, a resident said that her locality remained without electricity for a couple of hours every day. “All the KESC staff in my localized complaint centre should be fired without further delay. They just don’t respond to our complaints,” she said.

A patient’s attendant called from the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation and said that the hospital lost its electric supply in the afternoon.

“They do have generators but they provide electricity to machines and patients’ rooms on a priority basis. But I wonder why the KESC cannot provide hospitals with an uninterrupted power supply. There are some government hospitals where they don’t have generators. Surely the KESC could make extra arrangements for hospitals which should be spared of prolonged power breakdowns,” he suggested.

A resident of Federal B Area, Block 15, said his locality remained without electricity for a couple of hours on Wednesday morning.

Sources in the KESC’s centralized complaint centre, better known as 118, told Dawn on Wednesday that complaints of power breakdowns had been received from PECHS, Malir, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulshan-i-Hadeed, Bangalore Town, Sindhi Muslim Society, Garden East, Federal B Area, Surjani Town, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, North Nazimabad, Golimar, Nazimabad, Kharadar, Saddar, Korangi and Shabbirabad.

A spokesman for the KESC said the factors responsible for power breakdowns in the city were overloading of the KESC system, power theft, excessive use of electricity in summer and a shortage of electricity.

“But we are hoping to have overcome the issue of a shortage of electricity by April next year. When the KESC has surplus electricity, it would be able to provide its consumers with an uninterrupted supply even during summer. So, I hope that the next summer will be better,” he said.