KHAIRPUR, Oct 31: The residents of different towns of Khairpur district continued their protest for the third consecutive day on Thursday against frequent power breakdowns and lengthy load-shedding.

Bozdar Wada town remained closed as a shutter-down strike was observed there.

The activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, residents and traders also observed a token hunger strike.

They lamented that around 20 flour mills were lying closed for the last couple of days due to power breakdown.

In Mirwah the residents staged a sit-in outside the local press club.

The protesters told journalists that power supply to Mirwah taluka remained suspended for 10 to 15 hours daily, which created many difficulties for them.

In Kotdiji and Faizganj talukas, power supply remained suspended for hours to the villages lying in the areas of Nasir Faqir Jalalani, Bapo, Pacca Chang, Kardun, Tarko Hindiari and Kot Lalu.

SINDH FESTIVAL: Sindh Festival 2002 will be held here in the last week of Dec, the DCO, Khairpur, Aijaz Mangi, told a meeting here on Thursday.

The festival will be organized by Khairpur district government and Sindh culture and tourism department jointly.

Cattle shows, local wrestling, theatrical and musical programmes and stalls of fruits and handicrafts, particularly those of dates, will be included in the festival programme.

Sixteen committees have been set up to help in organizing the festival. They include publicity, souvenir, historical and cultural committee.

WHEREABOUTS: The whereabouts of two banana traders who were kidnapped by bandits on Monday are still not known.

The bandits had kidnapped the banana traders, Hazoor Bux Shaikh and Noor Mohammad Mirani, along with their Datsun pickup and driver, Shahmir Mirani, on the Ahmadpur-Khairpur Link Road near the Jeha Masjid.

Later, the driver and the pickup were released.

The police and villagers are following footprints of the bandits.