THERE are a number of educational institutions on Padidan Road in Naushahro Feroze that are connected to the rural feeder instead of the express feeder. This has caused a considerable loss to the students’ education.

I had lodged a complaint in this regard through the Citizen’s Portal (No: SD0208193927306) on Aug 2, 2019. In response, a letter from the Sukkur Power Electric Company (Sepco), on Aug 17, ‘clarified’ that the educational institutions fell under the jurisdiction of the 11kV feeder city-III, which had been declared an express feeder, meaning no loadshe-dding in areas connected to the feeder.

Regrettably, even after five years, the reality on the ground has not changed one bit. Sepco has taken no action to connect these major educational institutions to the express feeder. Frequent power outages severely affect laboratories, machinery, computers, physiotherapy equipment and other facilities, disrupting education and technical training. Students are forced to wait for months to have their practical sessions, as power is unavailable during college hours. This has been so for years.

The Sepco authorities as well as other relevant stakeholders should prioritise the matter, connect these educational institutions to the express feeder without any further delay, and fulfil their commitment to the task of promoting education in the country.

Dr Abdul Qadeer Memon
Naushahro Feroze

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2024