LARKANA, June 1: Fifteen feeders originating from the 132KV grid station faced cut-off in electricity supply on Thursday and many among these could not be restored by Friday when the report was filed. The entire city, on Thursday night plunged into darkness creating chaos more so during the hottest time of the year.

An 11,000KV cable of 132KV grid station in Larkana caught fire on Thursday cutting-off supply to entire city. Engineers and technicians were busy in removing the fault.

However, consumers lost their patience and joined the activists of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz in taking to streets over delay in restoration of the fault and besieged the office of Superintendent Engineer of Sepco Habib-ur-Rehman Shaikh. They pelted the office with stones and raised slogans against the utility. The guards didn’t let protesters enter the main building.

Mr Shaikh told Dawn that the cable caught fire perhaps due to heat and overload thus forcing the in-charge to shut down the entire grid station from where 15 feeders originated. Supply to Naudero feeder and Nazar Mohalla feeders couldn’t be restored even after 24 hours forcing consumers to come on roads. They wailed that delay in removing the fault was multiplying their difficulties.

Two transformers of 100 and 200KV installed at the Passport Office on Attaturk Street were burnt on Friday because of the overload. A big number of people, in the absence of alternate supply, faced acute drinking water shortage.

The city which is already pestered with low voltage and prolonged outages and fluctuations was now facing more severe crisis.

Over and above is the apathy of police who baton-charged and then booked the students of Chandka Medical College for protesting against electricity shutdown which also created drinking water problem in the hostel.