Emeute de l’électricité à Landhi au Pakistan juin 2009

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Riots erupt in Landhi

26 juin 2009

KARACHI: Angry residents of Landhi and its surrounding areas torched offices and a vehicle of the Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) while protesting against prolonged power outages in their localities. Scores of residents rioted and set ablaze a KESC office in Landhi No 31/2 and a KESC Customer Service Centre in Landhi No 4. They also torched a KESC vehicle. staff report

KESC Landhi office attacked to

Saturday, June 27, 2009

By By Zeeshan Azmat

Karachi
A little drizzle and light rain early Friday morning led to the tripping of feeders and cable faults, causing prolonged power breakdowns in most parts of the city. In some areas, mobs took to the streets and damaged some property of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).

A KESC complaint centre in Landhi 3-1/2 was attacked twice on Friday evening. Office furniture and equipment was destroyed and then set ablaze by a mob which was angered by the persistent power outages.

The electricity breakdown occurred at 4:00 am in most of Landhi Town, including Zamanabad, Landhi no. 2, 2-1/2, 3-1/2, 4 and 6, and the area remained without electricity till 7pm.

The affected consumers lodged several complaints with the KESC’s complaint centre and resorted to protests, but all in vain.

The mob also torched a KESC vehicle and damaged another. Some people even took away split air-conditioners, computers and some other office articles, besides setting electricity bills and office furniture on fire.

KESC officials said that the power failure occurred due to circuit breakdown in Landhi and the Civil Aviation grid station. The fault in the 132KV line caused the electricity crisis which was later fixed at 6pm. However, residents of the area refuted the KESC’s claims, and said that electricity supply was not restored till 7pm.

Station House Officer (SHO) Landhi, Ghulam Ahmed Shaikh, said that a large number of angry people attacked the KESC office and damaged property. A fire tender was called to extinguish the blaze at the complaint centre.

Former Landhi Town nazim (and current MNA) Syed Asif Hussain visited the affected area along with the acting town nazim to pacify the situation. Hussain criticised the KESC, and said that the continuous dismal performance by the power utility might cause a bigger law-and-order situation in the city.

Meanwhile, most parts of the city underwent prolonged power outages at around 2am and power supply was resumed after six to eight hours. The affected localities included several blocks of Federal ‘B’ Area, Liaquatabad, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Jamal, Gulshan-e-Maymar and Pir Elahi Bux Colony.

Landhi Town is a large industrial town in the eastern part of Karachi, Pakistan. It is bordered by the Faisal Cantonment and Shah Faisal Town to the north across the Malir River, Bin Qasim Town to the south and east, and Korangi Town to the west.