LAHORE - Prolonged and unscheduled power outages have paralysed the whole life in City, apparently due to the immense shortfall in hydropower generation across the country. Residents from all localities of the City and its adjoining areas have reported to The Nation that the frequent hours-long electricity breakdowns have made their life miserable. Incessant power cuts further aggravated problems in the metropolis, as enormous scarcity of water was also reported from several areas, they added. Apart from domestic consumers, industrial commercial customers are also getting affected due to power crisis. Electricity has totally disappeared from hospitals where patients remain without electricity for hours. Doctors said that the continuous power outages were affecting hospitals where they were finding it difficult to operate the patients. Similarly the industries have either been closed down or are on the verge of closure, industrialists said. The situation is no different in markets where shopkeepers and traders are sitting idle. Shopkeepers complained that they were being forced to shut their business. They said that due to unjustified and unprovoked policies of the govt, the cost of doing business has gone exorbitantly high and as a consequence numerous were working under-capacity, many industries were closed-down and several others have decided to close their business. They said that mayhem in trade and commerce sector due to power loadshedding would not only decline the revenue for the government but also lead to unemployment. They said that for solutions of the problems, traders' community has approached the government's high-ups but the results remain unproductive at their level. They added that the outcome of escalating problems of trade and industry due to power crisis would result in the form of dwindling economy and worsening of lifestyle of a common man, he added. They have threatened to shut their factories for not issuing loadshedding schedule. They said that hours-long power cuts had left thousands of labourers jobless as thousands of industrial units have been closed. They informed The Nation that most of the industries were limited only to one shift due to loadshedding of electricity and gas. Majority of the City areas have complained of up to 20-hour power shutdowns in their respective areas. Unannounced loadshedding of up to 16 hours was reported in various City areas like Gawalmandi, Anarkali, The Mall, Saadi Park, Shadman, Multan Road, Yateem Khana, Muslim Town, Shahdara Town, Badami Bagh, Circular Road, Railway Road, Fleming Raod, Islampura, Sant Nagar, McLeod Road and Band Road, Shad Bagh, Queen's Road, Mozang, Wahdat Colony, Ichhra, Township, Rehman Pura, Walled City, Bhati, Sanda, Mufti Road, Chohan Park, Saman Abad, Griffin Housing Scheme, Allama Iqbal Town, Johar Town, New Mozang, Gulshan-E-Ravi, Kachupura, Garhi Shahu, Cavalry Ground, Green Town, Awan Town, Faisal Town, Model Town, Chungi Amarsaddhu, Ravi Road, Gulberg, Sadar, Cant, Mughal Pura, Gujjar Pura and Laxmi. Residents of these areas criticised Wapda and Lesco authorities over their carelessness regarding basic amenities. They warned the govt that if no measure was taken they would attack Lesco installations and offices. They said loadshedding has prolonged to 15 to 20 hours which had paralysed their routine life. According to Lesco about nine-hour loadshedding has been scheduled in the City and other districts of the region.