HYDERABAD, May 6: Frequent power breakdowns and water shortages forced people to take to streets in many parts of the city as mercury shot up to 44.2 degrees centigrade on Sunday.

Erratic power supply has been causing hardships to people, particularly students, who have to prepare for their secondary school certificate examinations.

The areas of Cantonment, Qasimabad, Lajpat, Gari Khata, Prince Town and Latifabad Unit-7 have been the worst hit by power breakdowns since Saturday.

People in Prince Town took to streets against non-supply of power. They said their area had no electricity for past three days due to a fault in the transformer.

They blocked Wadhu Wah road for sometime, burnt tyres and also intercepted a fire brigade vehicle in protest but ended blockade after the SDO concerned of Qasimabad assured them of solving their problem.

The protesters said that power failure had also affected water supply in such a sizzling heat forcing people to fetch water from other areas.

"The transformer does not carry sufficient load for the area, which needs another transformer because some new construction is also taking place there," said a resident of Prince Town Imdad Keerio.

"I had to pass sleepless nights for two days and had to go to a friend's home to take rest during scorching heat in the absence of electricity at home," he said.

There were several complaints about erratic power supply in the areas under Gari Khata and Cantonment sub-divisions of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). People said power supply to their area had broken down since Saturday.

People in the area under the Hesco’s Rizvi sub-division in Latifabad also staged a demonstration against non-supply of power on Saturday night while many took to streets in Pathan Colony UC-3 in protest against unavailability of water in their area for past eight days.

They carried empty pitchers and placards and raised slogans against UC-3 Nazim Q. Mohammad Hakim. The protesters Ramzan Sawati, Rashida Baba, Fazal Hadi, Abdul Sattar and Mohammad Ameen said that they were provided no connection from a 17 inch diameter pipeline laid through their area to Sarfaraz and Millat Islamiya Colonies.

They accused UC-3 nazim of favouring his voters in the two colonies and demanded supply of water to their localities.

RAIDS: Police on Sunday conducted raids on several places near Hafiz Mubarak Ali Shah Shopping Centre to arrest two people accused of causing injuries to a young boy a day ago over a dispute among shopkeepers about power failure. The dispute also led to the death of a woman.

Ms Saima, 28, wife of Qadeer, was killed and Imran sustained injuries after they were caught up in the crossfire. The situation took the sorry turn after a meeting of shopkeepers called to discuss power breakdown in the centre turned violent and led to exchange of fire between two groups of shopkeepers.

The woman’s autopsy has been conducted at the Civil Hospital but her murder case has not yet been lodged as according to the SHO of city police station Khalid Shaikh no one has so far turned up to filer an FIR.

In the meanwhile shops in centre remained closed and personnel of police were deployed in the area.