Despite tall claims by the incumbent government regarding the interruption-free power supply during Ramazan, various areas across the country plunged into darkness at Sehr and Iftar on Sunday.
People took to streets to protest against the unscheduled and unannounced power outages.
Citizens of Karachi are suffering from prolonged power cuts and water shortage in very hot days of June, especially from the onset of holy month of Ramazan. People of the city are protesting against the power failure and water shortage and block roads in different areas, demanding smooth supply of power especially during Sehr and Iftar time.
The areas where the problems got intensified included Malir, Khokhrapar, Landhi, Korangi, Baldia Town, Gulbahar Colony, F.B Area, Liaqatabad, North Karachi, Shadman Town, Garden, Shah Faisal, Model Colony, Lyari, Mehmoodabad and other areas. The highest temperature recorded in the city yesterday remained at 44.8 degree centigrade.
These continuous power cuts have triggered violent protests across the country as the holy month of Ramzan has just set in. So far protests have been seen in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Up to 20 hours power cuts were reported in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Karak and Dir districts of KP. The protesters vented their rage on the offices and grid stations of the power distribution companies in Charsadda and Swabi. A number of protesters were arrested. This could be just the start and if the government fails to control the situation, more violent protests can break out. In a bid to save domestic consumers from the scourge of load shedding during Ramzan, the government had decided to shut electricity supply to industrial units for eight hours every night.
Government must utilize all available resources to end the crisis of load-shedding as electricity is one of the very basic needs.