KARACHI, July 2: Enraged citizens, already fed up with the poor performance of the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation, indulged in agitation against prolonged power breakdowns in various areas in the city on Sunday.

Residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal interrupted movement of vehicular traffic at the NIPA intersection by blocking roads with bonfire and bricks after suffering power failures of long duration. They raised slogans against the government and the KESC for failing to ensure a smooth supply of electricity to their respective locality.

Dwellers of North Nazimabad also staged a street demonstration and blocked the road at the Five-Star Chowrangi following a prolonged power failure in the locality. They erected barricades and blocked the road.

At both the places, police reached the scene to bring the situation under control. People dispersed when police assured them that they would approach the KESC to get the faults rectified and resume power supply to their localities as soon as possible.

However, a spokesman for the KESC said that several cable faults had developed in Gulshan-i-Iqbal which caused interruption in the power supply. The repair work was in progress, he maintained.

The Liaquatabad grid station, which was being given alternative supply, had been restored to its original link after which the additional load on Liaquatabad, Civic Centre, Surjani, Federal B Area, and Nazimabad grid stations was normalised. The grid was, however, shut down between 6am and 7am to switch over to the normal supply.

He said that the demand of power on Sunday was up to 1,900 megawatts and there loadshedding was not needed to be applied. In some areas, localised faults had developed and were rectified accordingly, the spokesman said.

Regarding additional power supply from Wapda, the spokesman said that one of the two Jamshoro-KDA links was down for maintenance. As soon as Wapda switched the link on, the KESC would start getting 100 megawatts from Wapda, he added.

While the KESC claimed that no loadshedding had been carried out in the city, various localities continued to experience power failures of long duration on Sunday. Almost the entire metropolis has been suffering prolonged power breakdowns for more than a week amid the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions.

Abdul Rasheed from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block-13-D/III, said that power supply was disrupted at 9am and was not restored till late night. He complained that the KESC’s local complaint number and the Centralised Complaint Cell number ‘118’ were either continuously busy or not being attended.

A resident of Korangi Crossing said that power supply to his locality was suspended at around 6:30am and it was not restored till late night despite the lapse of more than 16 hours. KESC officials maintained that it was a localised fault and repair work was under way, he added.

Shehla Fateh from Jamshed Quarters said that the power supply was discontinued at around 2:30pm and was not restored even after a lapse of six hours. The prolonged power failures or intermittent power breakdowns of long durations in a single day had become a routine, she deplored.

Similar complaints were also received from various areas of Malir. Residents of Murad Memon Goth, Old Thana Village, Haji Dad Mohammad Village, Haji Shamba Village, Blue Village, Jam Goth, Darsano Chhano and other villages also complained of prolonged power failures of long duration.