KARACHI, Oct 23: Amid a strike call given for Friday by the Jamaat-i-Islami and supported by representatives of business and industry to protest against the massive increase in electricity tariff, Karachiites suffered yet another day of prolonged and frequent power outages on Thursday.

The protests over the power outages and tariff increase seem to be rapidly developing into a nationwide anti-government movement, which has the potential of bringing more people on the street than political elements could muster in their struggle for the supremacy of the judiciary.

While the new management was shying away from responding to various issues raised by the consumers, the Karachi Electric Supply Company was on Thursday short of over 500MW and reeling from the after-effects of the massive power breakdown its high-tension electricity transmission system had suffered on Wednesday, causing disruption in power supply to the city. Consumers from several residential areas complained of up to eight hours of load-shedding during the day and previous night.

People in different residential parts of the metropolis resorted to protests at the KESC’s public dealing offices against the deteriorating power supply situation.

Various trade bodies have announced their full support to the call for strike for Friday to express their opposition to the increase in electricity tariff and highly precarious power supply situation affecting business, trade, commercial, and, social activities.

A KESC spokesman conceded that there had been three spells of load-shedding in the previous 24 hours, and in each cycle power supply remained suspended for two hours and more. He admitted that even after 24 hours of the major breakdown affecting two major high-tension transmission lines, the KESC faced up to 500MW shortfall of electricity mainly due to below-capacity operation of the generation units of Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station and the Korangi thermal power plant. After Wednesday’s breakdown, Bin Qasim’s unit 5 had not been reactivated for power production while other generation units despite coming online were generating much below their capacity.

He said efforts were under way to fully restore and re-energise the system of power generation, transmission, and distribution of the KESC to minimise the shortfall between the power supply and demand faced by the power utility.

While the new management appeared oblivious to the gravity of the power crisis in the city, representatives of business and industry have held meetings in Islamabad with government officials and they were reportedly assured of a 10-day moratorium on payment of new bills, pending the outcome of their ongoing deliberations with the government.