SUKKUR, Oct 17: Hesco has been requested to exempt water supply works from loadshedding for smooth supply of drinking water to people. Sukkur City Taluka Nazim Mohammad Naeem Siddiqui made this request to Superintendent Engineer, Operation, Hesco, during a meeting with him at his office.

Mr Siddiqui drew the attention of Hesco official to acute shortage of drinking water in the city because of long-duration loadshedding.

Superintendent Engineer, it was reported, said that the matter of loadshedding was countrywide but regarding the exemption of water works would be taken up with high-ups of the company.

Nazim also apprised him that wrong and excess billing had created problems for people while action is not taken if complaints are made to Hesco officers.

It was reported that two committees, one to receive complaints of wrong and excess billing and the other to coordinate with Hesco officers for rectifying problems, were constituted.

Naeem Siddiqui told this correspondent by phone that power crisis could be overcome by running all thermal power units to their full capacity but showed his ignorance as to why it was not being undertaken.

Regarding Sukkur power thermal station, he said that though major repairs had been done and gas supply ensured but why running was being delayed can be best explained by Hesco high-ups.

The taluka municipal administration, he said, was ready to purchase this power plant if given full authority.

Nazim said that they had invited tenders and contacted Siemens for purchase of nine heavy-duty generators for installing at main water works at Bunder Road, drainage pumping station at Miani Road and Maka Goth Pumping station for round-the-clock supply of drinking water and drainage of accumulated water on main roads because of power outages.

It may be noted that people in Sukkur are facing acute water shortage because of 16-hour-long loadshedding.

The worst affected areas are New Pind, Bukhar Chowk, Old Sukkur, Numaish road, Regent colony, Frere road, Minara road, Islam Ganj and others.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people and JUI activists staged a protest demonstration and a sit-in at Clock Tower here against prolonged load-shedding and the recent increase in electricity tariffs.

They said that people had pinned great hopes on the PPP government, but instead of providing relief to the masses it had overburdened them by increasing prices of electricity, gas, petrol and other daily use commodities.

Demanding immediate withdrawal of the recent increase in electricity tariff, they asked the government to slash the non-development expenditures and provide some relief to the people.

They also demanded an end to load-shedding, which according to them, was badly affecting the industrial sector.