KARACHI, May 23: Due to saturated generation capacity and a crumbling distribution system plagued by ever-increasing line losses, the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation on Wednesday resorted to 350 megawatts of load-shedding in different phases. In the backdrop of this situation, residents from across the city had one major grievance: Why is the KESC playing with our lives?

The KESC was resorting to more than two hours of load-shedding at least five times a day in many areas, but the utility is unable to say how many of its 1,000 feeders had to be closed during these outages. Insiders said the calculation for load-shedding conducted by the privatized management was also wrong. When contacted, a KESC spokesman said he would refer the matter to the relevant quarters.

As for Thursday, there will be no electricity from 9am to 5pm for residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, KDA Hill View PMT, PECHS Block 6, Inam PMT, Saddar Janeea Centre, RGM Square, Aero Complex, Noman Terrace, Rimpa Plaza, Kohinoor Centre, Mariam Centre Malir, Memon Goth, Abu Bakar Madressa, Qaterman PMT and surrounding areas, Landhi Hatchery PMT, Yusuf Goth, Korangi Sector 48-B and 48 C, Orangi Town and Islamia Colony on the pretext of system improvement.

Shakeel Malik, a resident of Gulshan Block 10-A, who had returned home today after a gallbladder operation, was literally crying on the phone when he complained of a prolonged power outage.

“If they cannot provide us electricity, what is the use of $14 billion reserves?” he asked.

He asked why the parties who claimed to be the champions of this city were not agitating on this issue.