NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, March 28: Inhabitants of seven villages of Halani staged a sit-in on the National Highway on Monday to protest against disconnection of power supply to their villages as well as issuance of detection bills.

Protesters belonging to Pir Kararo, Godhani Kalhoro, Juman Dobar, Khan Wahan and other villages, reached the highway in tractor trolleys, motorcycles and pick-ups and blocked it for three hours.

They raised slogans against the Mehrabpur sub-divisional officer of Hesco and his staff, accusing them of issuing detection bills to the poor villagers.

DPO Iqbal Dara, executive engineer Shabbir Kalhoro, along with a heavy police contingent, reached the spot and negotiated with the protesters.

The executive engineer told Dawn that Khan Wahan line superintendent Mumtaz Soomro and four others had been transferred, adding that an inquiry would be conducted into the matter.

He, however, regretted that despite restoring the power supply themselves on Sunday night, the villagers created a law and order situation.

The DPO said disconnection of power to an entire village always created a law and order situation; therefore, it had been decided in a meeting that in future, police would be informed well before the disconnection.