GUJRAT: Two public schools have been without electricity since Feb 6 following theft of their transformer. Locals have lodged a strong protest against the apathy of the authorities concerned in restoring power supply to the schools.

The Government Girls High School and Government Primary School in Sohal Khurd village were deprived of electricity when their transformer was stolen around seven months ago.

A delegation of village elders led by former Union Council Noora Mandiala nazim Saifullah Sial and former naib nazim Nazar Dhilon called on District Coordination Officer (DCO) Liaquat Ali Chattha and apprised him of the gravity of the issue.

Talking to Dawn, they said students had been suffering in severe heat since February and there was no drinking water either at these institutes at a time when the government was making lofty claims of providing basic facilities to educational institutions.

They said a case had also been filed against unidentified thieves, but police had not arrested any culprit yet, neither had the authorities concerned bothered to address this longstanding problem.