Power outages: Roads blocked as electricity-deprived residents protest

Residents complained they have had no electricity for the past eight days.

KARACHI: Numerous angry residents, who have been without electricity for more than a week now, took to the streets in protest on Monday. This led to severe traffic jams across the city.

As the mercury rose to 36 degree centigrade, so did the tempers as the protesters complained about what they felt was the inefficiency of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).



“We have been deprived of electricity for the past eight days,” said Phool Bibi, a resident of Rafiqabad - a neighbourhood located next to Liaquatabad. “Our children are suffering the most.” The elderly Phool Bibi joined a large number of women and children carrying wooden sticks and shouting slogans against the power utility on the main road from Gharibabad to Essa Nagri.

The protesters hit all vehicles with their sticks every time they tried to pass the blocked road. The younger men were, meanwhile, busy setting tyres on fire. “As you can see we have blocked the entire road and we are holding two KESC vehicles hostage but we did not hurt any of the utility’s employees,” pointed out a sweaty protester, Faisal. “They [KESC] workers are also poor people like us.”

Faisal said that his neighbourhood has been deprived of electricity for the past eights days. “We have registered several complaints but to no avail,” he said, explaining why they decided to block the roads in the severe heat. “Now the police and other government officials will come here to address our issues.” Faisal was particularly upset that various political party representatives visited them before the elections to demand their votes. “No one is here now to listen to our complaints.”



A bank employee, Aamir, was stuck in the traffic jam. “I have been standing here for the past two hours and now the CNG in my car is almost finished,” he complained. Nevertheless, he sympathised with the protesters and agreed that political leaders should deliver what they promise. Similar traffic jams were caused near the Gulbahar sanitary market, in North Karachi near the 4K bus stop, in Shafiq Morr near New Karachi, and in Malir No. 15.

‘Gharibabad a high  loss area’

According to a KESC official Adil Murtaza, the load-shedding in the neighbourhoods was part of their preventive maintenance programme. He told The Express Tribune that the utility increased its load-shedding times across the city. “It was not due to any fault.”

On the protest in Gharibabad, Murtaza said it was a high-loss locality given massive electricity theft. It is incorrect to claim that the neighbourhood has been deprived of electricity for the past eight days, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2013.