CHITRAL, Jan 9: Electric supply to Chitral city suspended five days ago hasn't been restored thus far.

Ironically, Drosh grid station officials have yet tolocate thefaulton the transmission line from Chitral to Lowari pass at the elevation of 10,230 feet due to unavailability of vehicles.

The national grid centre in Islamabad supplies electricity to Chitral.

Locals Niaz A Niazi and Haider Baig said prolonged power suspension in cold weather had paralysed life in the city.

They claimed that Drosh grid stationhad no vehicle forcing its staff to travel long distances on foot along with gadgets to correct faults on the transmission line at high altitude.

They feared that electric supply might be restored only after snow on Lowari pass melted and the grid station's staff reached there.

When contacted, a spokesman for grid station operation offices overseeing the grid station confirmed to Dawn unavailability of vehicles for correction of faults on the main transmission line and said the linemen totaling 15 had to rent jeeps for the purpose.Sartaj Ahmad said during his term as tehsil nazim of Chitral, he got a vehicle approved by the relevant authorities for the grid station but had no idea what had happened to it later on.

He said Drosh grid station's linemen had been without warm clothes and necessary gadgets though they had to work in temperatures below freezing point.

The ex-nazim regretted that linemen had been working with Drosh grid station on contractual basis but no government thought about regularising their services.