HYDERABAD, Aug 26: Power consumers came out on roads in different areas of the city on Friday night in protest against prolonged electricity breakdowns. Work in the civil hospital was also adversely affected due to lengthy electricity shutdown.

Angry power consumers kept contacting Hesco officials but none of them was available to give them proper reply as to when power supply would be restored.

Late on Saturday night, furious consumers took to the roads and lit bonfires.

They raised obstacles outside Hesco office Hirabad sub-division, Salawat mohallah, Jail and Mian roads, Tilak in-cline and St. Mary roundabout.

Groups of youth gathered and raised slogans against inefficiency of Hesco.

The cause of power suspension is reported to be falling of three poles of 11KV line in the Hirabad sub-division area after a bus hit them.

The Market Tower feeder of the Sarfaraz sub-division was also shutdown by Hesco for safety purposes.

As a result, there is water shortage in Hirabad and Sarfaraz sub-divisions for two days.

The areas which were hit by power outage are: Sarfaraz colony, Hirabad, civil hospital, Tilak in-cline, Sakhi Pir area, timber and grain markets, Salawat Paro, Tando Wali Mohammad, Prince Ali road and Market Tower.

“Power suspension has become the order of the day despite directives by Hesco chief executive to concerned SDO to ensure uninterrupted power supply”, said MPA Rehman Rajput, a resident of Hirabad.

He said that he spoke to the Hesco chief executive but in vain because the SDO claimed that two poles had fallen in locality and restoration of power supply seemed impossible before 11pm on Friday.

He said that the power supply was restored at 11am.

According to a Hesco official, labour was working on the site and it was expected that power supply would be restored by 11pm.

He said that only one feeder of the Safaraz sub-division was kept closed because labourer were working quite close to it.

Work in the Hyderabad civil hospital, located in Hirabad sub-division area, was badly affected due to power outage.

In case of non-availability of regular power supply heavy equipments in wards and operation theatres do not function regardless of the fact that generators were working.

Water shortage was also reported in the hospital since Friday morning till water tankers were provided by the City taluka municipal administration.

Hospital MS Dr Khalid Qureshi said that it was in the larger interest of patients and people of the interior of Sindh that the hospital should be provided alternative power source as soon as possible.