I HAVE been a resident of Karachi`s Garden West area for the last three decades. I have never been a defaulter of any utility service, including K-Electric (KE). Around this time last year, the KE began loadshedding in the area thrice in 24 hours, with each slot lasting 90 minutes.

This year, the loadshedding has been increased to four slots; two slots of four hours each, and two slots of three hours each. A group of area residents went to the KE office near Makki Masjid along with copies of the paid bills.

The official there told us that since serious electricity theft had been reported from the area, loadshedding hours had been increased. Even he acknowledged that the defaulters in the area included none of the apartment buildings. We argued that the KE should take due legalaction against electricity thieves and defaulters, but spare us, the apartment owners, from excessive loadshedding.

To this, the official simply expressed his inability to do any such thing.

Now, despite paying all KE dues regularly every month, our area has been putunder14 hours ofloadsheddingin this extremely hot weather. The last slot starts at 10.30pm and ends at 2.30am every day. What kind of a joke is this? There was a time when the KE used to be KESC, and its officials used to visit the premises of defaulters and disconnect their electricity connections till the settlement of their dues.

In case of resistance, KESC teams were protected by the area police. But now, the KE tells its consumers to go and fight with the defaulters, and to force them to pay their bills. Why should we, the people, do what the KE is supposed to do? This unethical KE attitude or should I say blackmail has made our lives miserable and the area unliveable. People`s anger is mounting in this scorching summer where they are not getting enough sleep at night due to seriously long hours of loadshedding. Is there no one in the land who can put an end to blatantly unethical KE practices and to address our misery? M.RafiqueZakaria Karachi