Daily Times

LARKANA: Residents of Larkana have been suffering 16-18 hours unscheduled power outages in a day.

The electricity load-shedding has made the citizens’ life miserable as the daily routine of the people of Larkana District is badly halted. Moreover, the power shortage has affected the school-going children as well.

The dysfunctional Pole Mounted Transformers (PMTs) are not being replaced or repaired by the administration of Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO). Meanwhile, the citizens are asked to pay for their repair cost. Moreover, the citizens have to bear the cost of cables as the SEPCO store in  larkana is short of cables and accessories.

The PMT of Government Primary School in Railway Colony, Larkana is also dysfunctional since last 15 days but it has not yet been repaired that has caused  hardships for the school’s students as it is difficult to study in classrooms due to unbearable temperature.

Teachers Aftab Burdi, Aslam Khokhar, Ghulam Muhammad Wagan and others complained that students the shortage of electricity has caused many students faints during school timing . They further said that they had informed repeatedly to the concerned SDO but it went in vain.

They said that  they have to reduce duration of school timing to lessen the hurdles of students pertaining to hot weather if the administration fails to overcome power shortage.

Besides this, the consumers also face burden of undue amount of bills sent to them. Khan Bahadur- a consumer told reporter on Monday that he has been sent Rs.30,000 bill for a month by the SEPCO more than what he earns in a month. Other consumers also complaint of undue bills sent by the SEPCO.

The residents complained that there is no announced schedule of outage but the grid station staff and the line staff manipulate and disconnect supply to hide their massive mismanagement and corruption.

They demanded either solar system be installed in all the government & non-government educational institutions or uninterrupted power supply must be ensured at any cost.

Similarly, residents of Naudero also face the power shortage that has hampered their daily life. Four girl students, reportedly, fell unconscious on Monday due to suffocation in their respective classrooms due to shortage of power supply in the school. Meanwhile. a class 4 student student Nimra Noor Kertio of Government Girls Primary School No. 1 became faint due to lack of power supply and was later admitted to hospital.

Seven PMTs of the town have been out of order since last several weeks but local  authorities have refused to carryout necessary repairs.

The residents warned that local SEPCO authorities should improve their performance, else they will come out on roads.