KARACHI - Hundreds of consumers of KESC on Tuesday staged protest against the hours' long power suspension from Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) in Korangi and Surjani Town areas.
According to details, a number of locals of Zaman Town, Korangi come out on the streets and staged protest against power disconnection in their area. The protestors set tyres on fire blocking the roads causing massive traffic jam, later the protesters including large number of children and women reached the KESC's complaint office at Korangi and pelted it with stones. They also held the KESC officials hostage and damaged the furniture and other equipments of the office.
The protestors said KESC has disconnected power supply of their area for the last 48 hours for non payment of outstanding dues by some consumers, but majority of the consumers, who paid monthly bills also suffered. However, heavy contingent of LEAs rushed to the scene and after assurance of restoration of power supply the crowd was dispersed.
Similarly, protest was witnessed at KDA Chwok, Surjani Town where a large number of residents reached the KESC complaint office and demanded restoration of their power supply, KESC had disconnected their power supply for non payment for the last 3 days.
Hassam Ahmed said that he is a resident of KDA Apartment and paid his utility bills on time but KESC officials disconnected power supply to his house because some consumers failed to pay their dues.
He stressed for a mechanism to be devised to disconnect the defaulters only.
Meanwhile, KESC has strongly condemned the violent protest on its Korangi office in which employees were held hostage for several hours and assets were destroyed by the unruly mob on Tuesday. KESC said that such attacks needed to be strictly discouraged in order to allow the utility to serve the interests of the city population.