MQM-P lawmakers want HESCO chief axed

Unnerved by the citizens' complaints of widespread power outages during rain, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has called for removal of chief executive officer of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO).

Talking to the media in Latifabad on Thursday the party's MPAs from Hyderabad described the CEO Faizullah Dahiri as a non-technical official who ended up increasing difficulties for the people during three-day long torrential downpour.

MPA Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani even went on to demand inquiry into all the promotions of the officers which were carried out by Dahiri. "The CEO's own appointment was wrong and the people of Hyderabad are suffering because of this," the MPA said.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department, Hyderabad received up to 89 millimeter rainfall in 24 hours till 5.30 pm on Friday. The highest amount of precipitation occurred on Thursday evening, accompanied by up to 70 kilometers of wind speed. The showers brought almost all main roads in the city under water partially. However, most of the roads were cleared by the morning but the low lying localities and the roads built without surface leveling or adequate drainage remained under water.

The HESCO's spokesman Sadiq Kubar in a late night press statement informed that 110 feeders of 11 KV were restored in Hyderabad by 11.45 pm on Thursday night while 44 feeders were still without power in the city.

The heavy rainfall which triggered the power supply suspension started minutes before 6 pm on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the MQM-P's legislators also came down hard on Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro and Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (HWSC). Qaimkhani and MPA Nasir Hussain Qureshi credited their party for carrying out real infrastructure development in Hyderabad when they were in power. They asked the mayor to explain which drainage projects have been executed in City and Latifabad talukas to upgrade capacity of the drains.

"Shoro became mayor of this city almost three years ago. He enjoys complete backing of the provincial and federal government yet he has failed to address the city's woes," alleged Qureshi. In another update, he claimed that 30 out of the 44 feeders were also restored by 1 am on Friday. The outage

A spokesman of the Rescue 1122 apprised that rainwater entered in homes in Fatima Jinnah colony in Latifabad unit number 11 on Thursday night.

According to him, an emergency rescue team safely brought many men, women and children out of their flooded houses. Meanwhile, the mayor's spokesman claimed that Shoro himself visited all the affected areas in Latifabad and Qasimabad to supervise the water drainage exercise.