Sukkur residents decry 72 hours of no power
A three-day electricity breakdown in Sukkur drove residents to stage a sit-in at the Station Road on Sunday.
SUKKUR:
A three-day electricity breakdown in Sukkur drove residents to stage a sit-in at the Station Road on Sunday.
Hundreds of men, women and children protested against Sepco, which has allegedly ignored requests of residents to replace a faulty transformer.
Protesters, led by Mohammad Shakir, Mohammad Kamran, Rasheeda Begum and others, gathered near Munawar Mosque and shouted slogans against Sepco officials. The charged protesters burnt tyres and blocked the road, suspending traffic at both ends of Station Road.
“The transformer in our area has been damaged for the last three days but despite repeated requests, Sepco officials are not ready to replace it unless we bribe them,” claimed Mohammad Shakir. According to him, the utility is demanding a bribe of Rs15,000 to replace the transformer, without which residents have been suffering high temperatures and water shortage.
Rasheeda Begum, in her late 70s, complained, “I am fasting, but I can’t have a glass of water at home for Iftar. They [Sepco officials] don’t fear God and just want money,” she raged.
“These kids are fasting in this hot weather and there are no fans working because there’s no electricity,” she continued, gesturing at the small children gathered to protest with their families.
Due to the electricity breakdown, residents have had to suffer a water shortage as well. With no motors running, they had to get water from the railway pipeline, which is around 200 metres away, Rasheeda said.
“I haven’t washed my face for the last three days,” said 10-year-old Mehak, adding that it was hard to kill time without electricity, especially in Ramazan when they were all fasting.
When the protesters saw the federal minister for labour and manpower, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah passing by, they besieged his car and demanded attention. The minister reassured the residents that their problem would be resolved by Sunday evening, after which the protesters dispersed.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2010.
A three-day electricity breakdown in Sukkur drove residents to stage a sit-in at the Station Road on Sunday.
Hundreds of men, women and children protested against Sepco, which has allegedly ignored requests of residents to replace a faulty transformer.
Protesters, led by Mohammad Shakir, Mohammad Kamran, Rasheeda Begum and others, gathered near Munawar Mosque and shouted slogans against Sepco officials. The charged protesters burnt tyres and blocked the road, suspending traffic at both ends of Station Road.
“The transformer in our area has been damaged for the last three days but despite repeated requests, Sepco officials are not ready to replace it unless we bribe them,” claimed Mohammad Shakir. According to him, the utility is demanding a bribe of Rs15,000 to replace the transformer, without which residents have been suffering high temperatures and water shortage.
Rasheeda Begum, in her late 70s, complained, “I am fasting, but I can’t have a glass of water at home for Iftar. They [Sepco officials] don’t fear God and just want money,” she raged.
“These kids are fasting in this hot weather and there are no fans working because there’s no electricity,” she continued, gesturing at the small children gathered to protest with their families.
Due to the electricity breakdown, residents have had to suffer a water shortage as well. With no motors running, they had to get water from the railway pipeline, which is around 200 metres away, Rasheeda said.
“I haven’t washed my face for the last three days,” said 10-year-old Mehak, adding that it was hard to kill time without electricity, especially in Ramazan when they were all fasting.
When the protesters saw the federal minister for labour and manpower, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah passing by, they besieged his car and demanded attention. The minister reassured the residents that their problem would be resolved by Sunday evening, after which the protesters dispersed.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2010.