MIRPURKHAS, June 24: Hundreds of residents held a demonstration and staged a sit-in outside the office of the Taluka municipal administration (TMA) here on Tuesday to protest against acute shortage of water in the city for one week.

Carrying empty water pitchers, banners and placards, the protesters surrounded the TMA office from where the municipal official had disappeared.

The protesters, including residents of Pak, Ghausia, Rajar, Jamnadas colonies and Hirabad, smashed the pitchers on the road as a result it remained blocked for several hours.

The police reached the spot and persuaded the protestors to end the road blockade.

Leaders of the protesters, Meeral Baloch and others, told journalists that water supply to the city was suspended one week back, causing hardships to the residents in the current spell of severe heat.

They said that water was being supplied to the houses of influential people and government officers through tankers.

On the other hand, they complained, no water tanker was being provided to common people who were being forced to buy water at the rate of Rs500 per tanker.

They demanded of the Sindh governor and local bodies minister to take notice of their plight and ensure immediate restoration of water supply to the city.

POWER: Power supply to the PTCL customers service centre was disconnected by the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company here on Tuesday.