KARACHI, April 22: Unannounced loadshedding and prolonged power shutdowns made the lives of the Karachiites miserable as the temperature remained high at 35 degrees Centigrade on Monday.
While Monday was not the hottest day of the month — the temperature had risen to 41 degrees Centigrade on April 2 — a large number of areas remained without electricity for long time intervals.
The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, however, chose to keep mum, reluctant to explain why power went off everyday in certain localities exactly for the same duration at the same fateful hour. No official version was available to explain why the KESC was not announcing that it was carrying out loadshedding.
Sources at the centralized complaint centre, better known as 118, told Dawn that they had received complaints of power shutdowns from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauher, Federal B Area, Banglore Town, Adamjee Nagar, Dhoraji, Bahadurabad, Pir Illahi Bux Colony, Hyderabad Colony, Nazimabad, Golimar, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Surjani Town, Hijrat Colony, Akhter Colony, Mahmoodabad, Ferozabad and Saddar.
Sohail Ahmed called from North Nazimabad, Block A, to say that for the last 10 days his locality had been experiencing more than one power shutdown at various hours of the day. “We experience the first power shutdown at around 11am. In the afternoon, at around 3pm the power goes off once again. The third power shutdown takes place after the sunset, usually around 9/10 pm.”
He said that the KESC officials at his complaint centre had admitted that the power utility had been carrying out unannounced loadshedding.
A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 14, told Dawn that the previous night his locality had had a power shutdown twice between 10pm and 12 midnight. “We had another power closure in daytime,” he added.
Rehan Siddiqui, a resident of Defence, Phase 7, 36-B-2, said that recently fluctuations in power supply had resulted in breakdown of his refrigerator, exhaust fan and bulbs. “I don’t mind power shutdowns due to loadshedding because everyone in Karachi has to live with it. But I take umbrage over the fact that because of the KESC I have to spend money in buying new stuff damaged by electrical power fluctuations.”
He added that he had not received KESC bills for the past three months. “I have to go to my regional complaint centre to get my bill. The KESC should have the courtesy to send bills to my place.”
Wasif Ahmed, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauher, said that his locality experienced power shutdowns every day at around 1pm. “The KESC complaint centre of my area said that loadshedding was being carried out for three hours every day. When I called ‘118’, they said there was some cable fault in my area. I want to know why we have to do without electricity every day for three hours.”
A resident of Federal B Area, Block 18, told Dawn that her area had been without electricity twice.
A resident of North Karachi, Sector 11-B, said the previous night they had experienced a power shutdown from 8pm to 2am. “We tried to contact the complaint centre of our area, but telephones at the complaint centre were either engaged all the time or were not answered,” she said.
Zubaida Hasan, a resident of Defence, Phase 1, said her locality had been without electricity since 4am. “Every day we have prolonged power shutdowns. When we call our complaint centres they say that there is a short circuit in the area. Our children are having exams these days. They cannot study in emergency light for a long time.”