NAWABSHAH, Oct 28: The residents of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto district are facing severe difficulties due to unannounced loadshedding for the last few weeks.

The power supply is suspended to all the feeders for 15 to 18 hours daily which has paralyzed routine life besides badly affecting business activities in the district. Industries like sugar mills and cotton factories were also suffering due to unannounced loadshedding.

Grid station officials have the same lame excuse that they were helpless as they receive orders from regional control centre for immediate closure of a number of feeders. They said that they were also the victims as they were local residents but if they did not follow the orders, the system might collapse.

No senior official was ready to check unannounced and forcible loadshedding.

Water supply to Nawabshah city and other major towns of the district has also been adversely affected as the water pumps could not function due to suspension of electric supply.

A number of protest demonstrations were held during the last couple of weeks but in vain. Patients in various hospitals were the worst sufferers as the hospital feeder was also not exempted from loadshedding.

Meanwhile, MNA Faryal Talpur, has directed the Hesco authorities to immediately resolve the matter of inflated bills issued to the consumers and stop unannounced and forcible loadshedding.

Chairing a meeting of Hesco officials at Zardari House on Friday evening, she said that she had received several complaints regarding the issuance of inflated bills and unannounced loadshedding.

She directed the chief engineer and superintending engineer Hesco to stop unannounced loadshedding specially in Nawabshah and Larkana districts and resolve the matter of inflated bills.

Meanwhile, a meeting regarding the problems of industrialists arising out of power crisis was recently held at circuit house. Chairing the meeting, additional chief secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha said that the government was well aware of the problems being faced by the industrialists and was taking drastic steps to provide facilities to them.

He urged the sugar mill owners to produce more electricity and assured them that the government would purchase it at reasonable rates which would be profitable for them and public would get relief from loadshedding.

He directed DCO Khursheed Naeem Malik to meet Hesco officials and ensure 12-hour non-stop power supply to the industries.