KARACHI, June 17: As electricity consumers burnt tyres, blocked roads and pelted vehicles and installations with stones to protest against prolonged and frequent power breakdowns across the city, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad presided over an emergency meeting to reviews the situation of power supply in Karachi and other parts of the province on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by Federal Water and Power Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Sindh Chief Secretary Shakil Durrani, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, Principal Secretary Saleem Khan and KESC chief Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Amjad.

The governor directed the KESC to ensure uninterrupted power supply to backward settlements and residential areas, and that in case of technical faults people should be informed about it and their complaints redressed.

The governor checked the performance of the phone number `18’, which registers electricity complaints, and called for its improvement.

The governor was briefed on the performance of every power plant. He advised the KESC not to carry out un-necessary mechanical work which could disrupt power supply.

The meeting was informed that out of the eight mobile generators of 8MW capacity, two were already provided to Liaquatabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and North Karachi while the other six would be available by next week. These mobile units would particularly be used for water supply from pumping stations.

Besides, the federal government had given permission for the installation of two coal blustered power generation plants with 1000MW capacity in Karachi.

The federal minister informed the governor that in the interior of Sindh old power plants were being replaced with modern ones.

Meanwhile, Home Adviser Wasim Akhtar has said that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has been contact with President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in an effort to overcome the current electricity crisis.

“People will soon be informed about the important decisions to be made in this regard,” he said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

Mr Akhtar said the president, the prime minister, the Sindh governor and chief minister were well aware of the hardship being faced by the people due to power outages in the city.