KOHAT, Aug 15: Wapda’s apathy and negligence deprived the people of Kohat from celebrating the 55th independence day of the country in a befitting manner and watch the special transmissions on television due to more than eleven hours breakdowns.

The day started with an eight hour power breakdown from 5am to 12.30pm followed by another one from 10.30pm to 2.40am.

As it was a national holiday most of the senior officers of Wapda were on leave even the emergency staff was not present. The concerned superintendent woke up to the call at 10am and spent three hours to locate the fault on a pole in the city-2 area.

Again in the night at 10.30pm a fault developed in Mian Khel area where the NWFP governor’s family lives. The fault was removed after four hours.

The enthusiastic shopkeepers who had decorated their shops for the last one week for the occasion with colour full posters banners and national flags were disappointed when power breakdown hit Kohat from 5am to 12.30pm on 14 August.

Majority of the people also missed the early morning functions arranged by the administration on the lawns of the municipal committee building. They did not watch the national day programmes telecast from Islamabad live and remained indoor confused and cursing Wapda.

The executive engineer, Mr Butt when contacted by Dawn at 12.30am said that he was not unaware of the problem and promised that he would look into the matter in the morning. First he was not ready to admit that electricity supply remained cut off for more than seven hours. But later after confirming from his subordinates argued that man was helpless before the decisions of God.