NAUSHAHROFEROZE, May 20: People from Tharushah and adjoining villages participated in a demonstration against Hesco on Sunday, complaining that they were facing power stoppages for three hours during the day and another three hours during night.

Led by Tharushah PML president Akbar Rajput, PML-F leader Ghulam Hussain and JSQM leader Shahid Soomro, the protesters came from Banho Khan Tevno, Mewo Khan Baber and Sadique Siyal and other villages.

The villagers complained that people who had migrated from their villages years ago and had their electricity connections cut off were being issued bills after October 2006.

They said that Hesco had disconnected the power supply to these villages and threatened that it would not be restored till the people who had migrated paid their bills.

Saying that they were also receiving detection bills, the protesters appealed for an inquiry, the withdrawal of detection bills and the restoration of electricity to all villages.

Our Nawabshah correspondent adds: Residents of more than 15 villages of Bandhi and surroundings areas are suffering because Hesco disconnected their power supply on Sunday. The Hesco administration claims that bills have not been paid.

The affected villages include Bashir Mahessar, Mohammed Bux Brohi, Noor Mohammed, Jatto Khan, Gul Hassan, Allahdino Shah and others.

According to Shoukat Ali, Muharram Shah, Abdul Latif and others, some people in these villages have indeed not paid their bills but the Hesco authorities disconnected the power supply to all the villages instead of the relevant houses.

They demanded that the Hesco chief take notice of this issue and the power supply be restored.