KARACHI, May 6: As mercury shot up to 43.5 Celsius with 22 per cent humidity, there was no respite for millions of power-stricken Karachiites on Thursday despite KESC's claim of terminating the unannounced loadshedding caused by snapping of power supply by WAPDA due to fault in its national grid.

Though the KESC claimed that its link with WAPDA was repaired and full power supply through both the Wapda transmission circuits was restored at 9 am on Thursday, the agonising noise of generators could be heard in major shopping areas of the city throughout the day.

The officials at the Civil Hospital said that power supply remained disturbed in various wards of the hospital since 1 am on Thursday. Although the hospital arranged supply to some wards through emergency generators, surgeries had to be postponed owing to power failure at the hospital.

Residents from various parts of the city rang up to complain that they were without electricity. Students were the worst hit by power breakdowns. According to a KESC spokesman, the utility's Wapda circuits were disturbed when a high-tension line snapped on Tuesday evening, causing a shortfall of 500 to 600 MW from Wapda. This resulted in a major loadshedding by the KESC.

When the attention of a KESC spokesman was drawn towards complaints of breakdowns, the spokesman said there might be localized breakdowns and advised the consumers to contact their complaint canters concerned.

Begum Talat Muneer Fateh of the Maqbool Cooperative Society, Alamgir Road, told Dawn at 8pm that her locality was without electricity. She said that power breakdown occurred at about 1 am and was not restored until she registered her complaint with this newspaper.

She claimed that when she rang up 4551082 (OC-1 Society Complaint Centre), she was informed that there was a fault in the switch. She said that a similar complaint was also lodged with the chief engineer and the MD.

She was at a loss to understand as to how the area in which important installations, like television station, AKU and Liaquat Hospital were located, could be ignored by the utility.

Similar complaints were also received from defence Phase-V, Federal B Area, North Karachi, New Karachi, Baldia and old town area. Students appearing in the various examinations were the worst affected by the prolonged breakdowns which had put thousands of power consumers to great inconvenience.

Consumers from almost all the major localities of Karachi, had expressed displeasure over the inability of the KESC to announce a loadshedding schedule in advance. KESC consumers were informed that power supply situation would stabilise in 18 months when direct link with Hubco would be established.

A resident of Korangi said that his locality was still without electricity. Same was the case in parts of Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Power breakdown had also disrupted water supply to the city as well as the production schedule in various industrial units.