Prolonged load shedding is being carried out during the holy month of Ramzan in rural parts of the metropolis despite the fact that severe heat wave is continuously hitting the citizens observing fast.
The worst-affected areas include Sachal Goth, Maroora Goth, Ayub Goth, Safoora Goth, Federal B Area and few areas of New Karachi. Thousands of people are being affected daily due to power load shedding. Old age and children are suffering most from ongoing heat wave, but the K-Electric (KE) is still not feeling its responsibility to provide relief to them.
The KE has failed to provide power to its consumers who pay even inflated bills. Over 1200 people have lost their lives in Karachi due to heat wave amid power load shedding. The higher authorities did nothing to stop load shedding and just made tall claims before Ramazan that Sehar and Iftar time span would be free of outages.
The complaints were not attended when the Federal B Area’s citizen Abdul Gaffar made the complaint which took one day for rectifying the fault. Many offices in Karachi are also hit by load shedding. The city is also facing acute water shortage due to power outages.
It may be noted that Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon recently said that K-Electric and federal government were responsible of deaths in Karachi due to heat wave. Talking to media after inquiring health of patients at AbbasiShaheedHospital, Memon said that most of the people of older age became victims of heat wave.
“The K-Electric is earning billions of rupees but it doesn’t spend even a single rupee over improvement of system,” Memon told newsmen. The minister said that 1200 people died in last nine days due to heat wave and load shedding.
Members of the provincial assembly led by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, ministers and other lawmakers recently also set a precedent by staging a sit-in on a footpath opposite to the assembly building against the K-Electric. Several social and business organisations had already criticised the KE for not making arrangements for streamlining power supply during the holy month of Ramazan.
