SUKKUR: Members of the All Rice Mills Association (Sindh), along with other mill owners and workers, staged a protest and sit-in in Jacobabad against prolonged loadshedding on the industrial feeder.

They said power outages lasting more than 12 hours a day were disrupting industrial operations and causing hardship to mill owners and workers.

Addressing the participants, Bhajjan Bhatra, Haji Shabbir Ahmed Memon, Haji Ilyas Memon, Haji Wali Mohammad Kharani, Sohail Ahmed Kharani, Saeed Ahmed Kharani, Dildar Ahmed Golato, Suresh Mal and other leaders, criticised the power utility’s officials over the continued outages.

They said the mill owners had collectively raised Rs7 million to Rs8 million from their own sources and paid the same to Wapda officials for a separate feeder for the industrial area.

The leaders maintained that all mill owners were paying their electricity bills in full, yet the feeder was still subjected to long loadshedding.

The protesters demanded an end to the excessive power cuts and warned that they would stop paying their bills if the issue was not resolved.

Separately, members of the All Rice Millers Workers Union staged a protest rally in Jacobabad against rising inflation, low wages and the alleged denial of basic facilities to rice mill workers.

A large number of workers joined the rally, which began at the Old Grain Market and proceeded to the Jacobabad Press Club.

Addressing the protesters, labour leaders Haji Mashooq Ali Kharani, Rehmatullah Jatoi, Abdul Wahab Jakhrani, Sikandar Kehar and Changez Kharani alleged that mill owners were treating workers unfairly by paying low wages and failing to provide essential facilities.

The leaders said workers had received wage increases when Mir Babul Khan Jakhrani was president of the millers’ association, but claimed their demands had been neglected since the new office-bearers took charge.

They also accused the institutions responsible for workers’ welfare of failing to protect labourers’ rights.

The protesters further alleged that bribes of Rs20,000 were being demanded from workers for the issuance of social security cards.

The union leaders demanded an increase in wages, the provision of social security cards and access to basic workplace facilities.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026