Daily Times

LARKANA: The worst electricity load shedding in the entire Larkana district has paralysed life since the start of current hot weather season due to which traders, shopkeepers and the denizens have been badly affected.

There is no outage schedule in Larkana city as Sepco authorities are closing supply at their will. In Naundero, 12-hour schedule has been announced, but its timing has been changed within a week which exclude time of forced load shedding which is being carried out on the pretext of overloaded transformers, faults and in this way about 16-hour power outage is being carried out within 24 hours on daily basis.

In Ratodero, 12-hour loadshedding schedule has been declared, but 6-hour forced load shedding is also being carried out daily which has forced the citizens to pass sleepless nights amid mosquitoes bites.

Niaz Abro, a journalist, said that there was in fact no schedule of loadshedding in Ratodero but Water & Power Minister had announced on the floor of the house that up to 12-hour will be conducted. He said that actually, 18 hours outage was forcibly being carried out here openly, violating the government policy. He said that corruption was rampant in Sepco which had never been eliminated due to which revenue collection had dropped to maximum level in which local staff was involved.

Naundero Shaheri Action Committee (SAC), President, Ghulam Hyder Narejo, said that they had been agitating against inhuman load shedding which was always carried out with dare and in violation of federal government’s announced policy.  Another consumer, Assad, said that on Tuesday night power supply was put off at 2.45 am and restored in the morning at 8.45 am which forced the families’ bread-earners to remain home as the new 12-hour schedule was suddenly announced.

He said apart from 12 hours, 4 to 6 hours forced outage was also being conducted daily on the pretext of tripping due to faults or overloading of transformers which had never been removed or replaced. He further said that worst affected were the ice factories owners who pay huge bills monthly along with taxes but in return get massive prolonged outages due to which their investment had gone down the drain.

In Larkana, Dr. Saeed Memon of Murad Wahan locality said that there was no proper timings for load shedding in the city and the residents were either relying on their solar plates, generators or UPS but nobody seemed to  help them. Citizens of Daro Illahi Bux, Izzat Ji Wandh, Bhoonbhatpur, Daro and other rural areas said that 2-hour supply was given to them in the evening and two in the night.