KARACHI, June 14: Power breakdowns continued to plague the lives of KESC consumers on Friday as well.

Sources in the power utility said that the KESC centralized complaint centre had received complaints of power failures from Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Korangi, Federal B. Area, North Karachi, Abbysinia Lines, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, New Karachi and Saddar.

One very angry Ashfaq Ahmad called from Defence, Phase IV, and said he wanted to protest against the high-handedness of the KESC staff in the strongest possible words. He said that due to fluctuations in power supply, his TV had burnt recently.

“The KESC staff do not solve the problems of taxpayers because they couldn’t care less,” he observed.

Calling from Nazimabad, Block 3, a student of NED University said that power breakdowns in his locality followed a similar pattern. “At first, one of the three phases goes off. Then we remain without any phase for at least one day. We make frantic phone calls to our complaint centre. Before the resumption of power supply, electricity goes off for at least four hours,” he said.

A resident of North Nazimabad, Block A, said his locality, as well as Block H, had been without electricity for nearly three hours. He added that the staff at complaint no 118 had been unable to explain the power closure.

“I overheard the 118 telephone attendant ask his colleague if there is any power cut in North Nazimabad. The colleague said he had no idea. Still, the telephone attendant told me that a feeder had tripped in my area,” he added.

A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Block 17, said that his locality faced frequent power breakdowns.

“I am an avid football fan. If I had my way, I wouldn’t go to work in order to watch the World Cup matches these days and I’m dying to watch the matches once I’m home. But somebody in the KESC switches off the power supply to our area at the time when a football match is being shown on TV,” he complained.

Grid station: Karachi Electric Supply Corporation will carry out cleaning of the 132 KV yard at the North Karachi grid station and four transformers at the grid will be shut down for maintenance work on Saturday.

A KESC spokesman said that necessary cleaning and repair work would be carried out from 12noon to 4:00pm.

Power supply to areas linked to the grid will remain suspended during the period, says a press release issued here on Friday.

The areas under power shutdown include parts of Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Buffer Zone, Surjani Town and North Karachi.—PPI