Children take to the streets against blackouts

Protests took place across Sindh to decry 850MW shortage

SUKKUR: Children burnt tyres, threw stones at a rickshaw and forced cars off the streets on Monday in protest against prolonged and unannounced power outages. Meanwhile, residents also expressed their anger when a faulty transformer was not fixed for three days.

The children claimed that they had no electricity for over 12 hours a day. Police threw stones at the protesting children to drive them away.

There is a major electricity shortage in most parts of interior Sindh, including Shikarpur, Pannu Aqil, Rohri, Ghotki, Naushero Feroz, Kandhkoth, Khairpur, Larkana and Jacobabad.

The 850MW shortage is causing power outages that last over 12 hours a day. Grid stations in these towns remain closed at night.

Overloading and tripping leads to shortfalls, which results in power outages, explained Mohammad Sadiq, a Hesco representative. Sadiq warned that if shortage did not decrease the hours of power outages would increase.

In Naushahro Feroz, the Shehri Action Committee called a strike and people protested in front of the DCO’s office. They burnt tyres on the Qaumi Shahrah bypass and staged a sit-in.

In Kandkhot, similar protests, led by social and political parties, were held against Hesco.

Protestors surrounded the Hesco office, burnt tyres and shouted slogans.

They claimed that they do not have electricity, yet the bills were increasing. There were reports of three men fainting due to excessive heat.