KARACHI, April 20: The weak power generation system of the power utility suffered another setback on Thursday when one of its power-generating units in Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plant ceased to work.

The complex problems in the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation coupled with the shutdown of its power generating unit created a shortage of 190 megawatts power in the city, which has forced the power utility to carry out at least one-and-a-half hour group-wise power load shedding.

A KESC spokesman said that the repair work on the shutdown unit had been started and it would take at least two days to be functional again. Besides, the work on Hubco-Baldia link was in progress and it would hopefully be completed by April 30.

The decision to purchase power from Hubco was taken in the year 2003, with an estimated cost of Rs3 million. Presently, the power utility is getting power from Jamshoro circuit that is 186 kilometres from Karachi.

The distance from Hubco-Baldia link is only 36 kilometres, thus more convenient to manage.

People in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, KDA Scheme-1, Bahadurabad, Mohammad Ali Society, and other areas have been suffering from power load shedding as five main power cables were damaged during digging for development work. The repair of the cables was under way.

People in general claimed that the KESC had been carrying out power load shedding many times a day for one to two hours. “Electricity has been playing hide-and-seek with the residents of Korangi Crossing and adjoining localities for the last two days,” said an irate consumer.

A woman in Block-11 Federal B Area said that the president had been provided with all the facilities and millions of rupees were being spent on his security but the common people had even been deprived of smooth supply of electricity.

She said that SSC examinations were to begin on April 28, but the absence of power almost everyday in the evenings and nights was creating problems for the students preparing for their exams.

She said that the management of the power utility did not care for the sick people and their miseries in the absence of electricity.

“We have been hearing about the improvement of the system for the past many years but the things are getting even worse”, she added.

A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Block 20, said that the power supply remained suspended for four hours from 10am to 2pm and again from 8.30pm to 10.30 pm, as against the KESC claim that they had been carrying out power load shedding for only one-and-a-half hours.

Another resident of Block-18 said that the power went off everyday at around 8pm for an hour or so, and the KESC had done nothing to improve the system. He said that the consumers had expected from the new management to improve the feeble transmission and distribution system and put a strict check on power stealing but nothing had happened so far.

A woman from phase VI in Defence Housing Authority said that there was no power in the afternoon from 12pm to 2:30pm.

Residents of Block-L and H in North Nazimabad said that prolonged power failures had become a routine feature.