Protest over power outages causes gridlock in Karachi

KARACHI: Thousands of commuters and motorists remained stuck in multiple traffic jams on several key thoroughfares after residents of Punjab Colony and Gizri took to streets and blocked both tracks of the main road leading towards Boat Basin and Sunset Boulevard in protest over prolonged power outages in their area.

Traffic police officials said that the traffic flow was adversely affected on several roads including Mai Kolachi road towards Boat Basin, main Abdullah Haroon Road between Do Talwar and Teen Talwar, Lilly Bridge, Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Road towards Gizri, Akhtar Colony road towards Korangi, Khayaban-i-Ittehad and other adjoining areas.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the residents blocked the main road near Punjab Colony on Tuesday morning.

He said that they engaged the protesters with talks and also invited representatives of the KE to find a solution to the problem. The talks succeeded and the protestors vacated both tracks of the road.

He said no action was taken by the police as the protestors did not resort violence.

Another officer, South-SSP Sajid Amir Sadozai told Dawn that the road was blocked for some hours on Tuesday morning.

He added that the same residents also blocked road near the underpass at Gizri leading towards Sunset Boulevard on Monday night two-three times and the police persuaded them to vacate the road.

Similar protests were also reported on Mauripur Road and main Shaheen Complex roundabout by residents on Monday night.

Meanwhile, a KE spokesperson in a statement said that “aggressive anti-theft crackdown” across the city was being resisted by the “kunda mafia” who were resorting to blocking roads and disrupting the city’s traffic to maintain their illegal connections over settling their outstanding dues.

It said: “Recent incidents in Gizri, Punjab Colony, and nearby areas are aimed to undermine K-Electric’s efforts to dismantle illegal connections from loadshedding-free feeders. During one such targeted operation in Punjab Colony, KE teams faced violent retaliation from armed assailants who tried to stop the kunda removal and harassed the staff at gunpoint,” it added.

“The same defaulting customers orchestrated protests in Gizri and Punjab Colony to forcefully restore power supply, contravening KE’s attempts to provide equitable supply,” said the statement.

Over the last 24 hours, similar protests have been reported in areas adjoining Railway Colony, where amounts owing to default exceeds Rs150 million.

Defaulters in Baldia Town, who owe over Rs180mn, also blocked Mauripur Road affecting the flow of traffic.