KARACHI - The hunger strike of the workers of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) entered into 17th day on Sunday. According to details, thousands of workers under the banner of Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) started protest and expressed solidarity with 4,500 employees of the utility, demanding nationalisation of the utility. Press Secretary CBA KESC and President PTUDC Karamat Hussain said that on Sunday hundreds of workers belonging to different trade union staged protest at Hyderabad and Rawalpindi Press Clubs and expressed solidarity with the sacked employees of the utility. He said that workers demanded nationalisation of KESC. He also claimed that workers of the KESC had full skill to run the KESC and if the government nationalise it, they would stop the loadshedding in Karachi as the power generation of the KESC had much increased but the private management of the utility, in order to earn more profit, creates artificial loadshedding. On the other side, there is no relief in sight for the citizens of Karachi as the unabated loadshedding continued disturbing people. All Karachi Tajir Ittehad while condemning the inefficiency of KESC administration termed the loadshedding fabricated. The traders including Chairman Atiq Mir informed that KESC should stop the atrocities against the working class immediately. The spokesman of the utility in his statement claimed that utility had restored the electricity in most of the areas including major parts of Landhi, Korangi Industrial Area, Dhabeji, Korangi Crossing, Quaidabad, Memon Goth, Shah Faisal Town, Gulzar-e-Hijri and others. He further added that currently KESC teams were working in day shifts and night shifts to resolve the pending complaints and faults while KESCs special units are on 24-hour shifts, working under conditions of external threats, and putting in all efforts to provide relief to the citizens of Karachi, especially in areas where KESC equipment and assets were purposefully damaged and sabotaged, due to which the customers had to face a lot of problems. He further added that KESCs CEO is overlooking this operational work and has directed the teams to ensure that all areas are stabilized at the earliest possible and currently the load shedding situation in the city is under control and is being done as per schedule, and routine, with a maximum of 4.5hrs of load shedding.