MIRPURKHAS, Sept 9: People at Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts, faced with great hardships due to 34-hour power outage, staged a demonstration against the Hesco authorities and blocked the main roads here on Sunday.

Report said that Hesco’s Mirpurkhas division had shut the power down on Saturday from 7am to 10pm, for repair and maintenance however, after lapse of 34 hours power supply could not be restored in the two districts.

Water supply also remained disrupted while business activities were adversely affected many as factories remained closed due to the power outage.

On Saturday night, over an hundred angry people attacked the complaint centre at Hesco city sub-division, situated at Market chowk and ransacked the office. The Hesco officials escaped.

Hundreds of youths blocked the ring road near Hameedpura colony and burnt tyres which led to suspension of traffic.

When the town police reached to disperse protesters, they pelted police with stones, which compelled the police to left the spot.

The protesters raised slogans against the Hesco officials and demanded of the chairman Wapda to look into the matter.

They said that consumers were not informed about the cause of the prolonged power failure.They said that all the complaint centres of Hesco Mirpurkhas division were lying closed, while SDOs and XEN were not available at their official telephones.

The areas deprived of power supply included Mirpurkhas, Mirwah, Digri, Tando Jan Mohammad, Jhuddo, Naukot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Jhillori, Khaan, Shadi Palli, Sufi Faqeer, Umerkot, Pithoro, Dhoronaro, Samaro, Kunri and Sindhri.

When XEN Hesco Mirpurkhas contacted he said that the prolonged power failure was due to ongoing work near Tandojam to install a new power circuit and said that after completion of this parallel power circuit between Mirpurkhas and Hala grid stations the load-shedding would end.

PPI adds: In Nawabshah, consumers staged a protest demonstration against loadshedding in front of the press club.

They chanted slogan against the Hesco and demanded end to power outages.

They said many areas of the city, including Sanghar Road, Moti Bazaar, Bhangwar colony, Azeem colony, Daulat colony, Mehran colony, Bhittai colony, Ghareeb Abad, Mano Abad, Aisar Pura, Liaquat Market and Khatchehri Road are being seriously affected by the daily loadshedding.

MISSING PERSONS: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Council for all Under Privileged Segments Eminence took out a rally here on Sunday to protest against the enforced disappearances of innocent people.