KARACHI, May 4: Stifling heat and frequent power shutdowns have made it extremely difficult for students of Intermediate to study as their exams get under way.

As the city temperature stood at the sweltering 37.5 degrees centigrade on Saturday, many areas of the city remained without electricity for hours.

Sources in the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation said complaints of power shutdowns had been received from Kharadar, Gulistan-i-Jauher, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Pak Colony, Nazimabad, Rizvia Society, Federal B Area.

Zeeshan Ahmed, a student of Govt Delhi College for Boys, said that everyday his locality — Federal B Area, Block 17, — faced prolonged power shutdowns. “It is cruel on the part of the KESC not to announce a loadshedding schedule if it must deprive city areas of power supply.

“I am one of those people who cannot sleep if the fan is not working. I get a headache because of a lack of sleep. As a result, I cannot study because of the headache. The very idea that I am not able to study unnerves me immensely.”

Another student, calling from Kharadar, said that he had to use his computer for his studies. “The power supply from the KESC is so undependable that I do not know when it will go off. I have lost a lot of data because of sudden power failures.”

A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauher, Block 16, told Dawn that his locality suffered prolonged power shutdowns every night — mostly after 1am. “It is a dreadful feeling to know while coming home from work that power supply will desert you at night. After a day’s work a person wants to sleep without any disturbance.”

Calling from North Nazimabad, Block L, a person suggested that a psychiatrist should examine how unannounced power shutdowns affected the mental health of the 1.7 million consumers of the KESC. “Just when a person is all set to go to sleep, the power supply gets disconnected. Similarly, a person gets up in the morning to go to work he discovers that because there is no electricity he cannot iron his clothes. All these things add to the agony a person has to go through every day.”

A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauher, Block 14, told Dawn that he had had a power cut 2.30pm. The power supply had been restored at 7pm. He added that two more blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauher — Blocks 17 and 18 — had also faced a power closure during the same time interval.

A resident of Gulzar-i-Hijri told Dawn his locality had been without electricity from 1pm to 7.15pm.

“I am sure at the end of the month I will get an inflated bill though I hardly get to use electricity,” he complained.

Residents calling from North Nazimabad, Blocks A and B, told Dawn their localities had faced more than one power shutdown. They said their regional complaint centres had told them that some feeders had tripped. “Tripping of feeders is their favourite excuse — it covers a large number of power faults,” one irate resident said.

JAMAAT-I-ISLAMI: The chief of the Karachi chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami, Dr Mairajul Huda, condemned unannounced loadshedding in the city, says a press release issued on Saturday.