Protesting workers of the Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) have handed the management of the power utility another week to accept their demands, following which a new strategy will be announced. The decision was announced on Monday after a rally from the Tower to Mazar-e-Quaid on Numaish. At least 4,000 KESC workers, representatives of 17 trade unions and four federations participated in what was a huge show of strength in numbers.
Riding on motorcycles, cars, mini-buses and buses, protesting KESC workers reached Tower through the Mai Kolachi Bypass from the KESC Head Office in Gizri. They were met there by workers of the 17 trade unions and four federations, and together, they started marching towards Mazar-e-Quaid at around 3.30pm. Marching slowly and steadily, protesters raised slogans against the KESC management and demanded early acceptance of their demands. The rally passed through the I. I. Chundrigar Road, where workers staged a sit-in outside the offices of a major media group against their ‘anti-workers’ bias. Thereafter, they headed to the Karachi Press Club, where some labour leaders addressed the rally.
Chairman of the KESC Labour Union, Akhlaq Ahmed, in his address said that if the KESC management does not accept their demands within a week, a new strategy will be announced. He said that due to the cruel acts of the KESC management, the City of Lights has become the City of Darkness. Ahmed also slated the apathy and inaction of the provincial and Federal governments, and demanded of the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice of the issue. Ayaz Khan Mengal, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Ghulam Mustafa Solang and others also addressed the sit-in at Mazar-e-Quaid.
Meanwhile, City Town TPO Saquib Sultan told Pakistan Today that the police made special arrangements to ensure security of the protesters. He said all roads that linked with the route of the rally were blocked for the duration of the march. Due to the march, however, major gridlocks developed in various parts of the city. I. I. Chundrigar Road, Abdullah Haroon Road and M.A Jinnah Road were worst affected when the rally marched towards Numaish Chowrangi.
Once the protest at Mazar-e-Quaid concluded, protesters adopted an alternate route back to their protest camp outside the KESC Head Office in Gizri. The rally passed through Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Allah Wali Chowrangi, Nursery, Kalapul and Korangi Road to reach its destination. Despite the traffic police announcing alternate routes during the duration of the rally, blockade of main roads have caused traffic gridlocks across the city. Till late night, these gridlocks could not be normalised.
