LARKANA: Condemning the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) for sending “highly inflated and detection bills” to the consumers and its failure to repair damaged transformers, the people of Naudero on Monday took to the streets of the town.

Carrying banners and placards, the protesters in the lead of Saleem Channa, Akbar Mangriyo, Nisar Mirani and Waryam Channa raised slogans against Sepco.

They said the power utility had targeted Naudero accusing its residents of stealing electricity. Actually they [Sepco officials] by blaming the consumers were trying to cover their own faults, they said.

Meanwhile, the protest that began on the first day of Ramazan by the Citizens Action Committee (CAC) Naudero against the excesses of Sepco continued on Monday. They had set up a protest camp outside the local Sepco office, but so far no one had turned up to talk to them and resolve the issue, the protesters said.

Ghulam Haidar Narejo, chairman of the action committee, and others said Sepco was avoiding negotiations apprehending that their [Sepco’s] “illegalities” could be unveiled in the process. They said voice messages had been sent to the prime minister, federal minister for water and power, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other PPP leaders including Faryal Talpur, Ms Nafisa Shah and others to help the Naudero people in getting the problems resolved, but in vain. Mr Narejo alleged that the people of Naudero were being victimised.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2019