KALAT: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in Kalat on Monday against what traders and political parties described as exorbitant hikes in electricity bills issued by the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO).
All business centers, shops, vegetable and meat markets remained closed, bringing commercial activity in the city to a standstill. The strike was jointly called by local traders’ unions and an all-parties alliance in protest against the sudden rise in power bills.
Protest leaders said consumers were being crushed under an “unbearable burden.” “Those who previously paid Rs1,500 are now being asked to pay up to Rs20,000. In a backward and impoverished region like Kalat, people simply cannot afford such bills,” they said.
Meanwhile, long hours of power outages on multiple feeders have triggered an acute water shortage across several neighborhoods, further fueling public anger. Residents complained that their daily lives have become intolerable as they face both inflated bills and prolonged blackouts.
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The strike has paralyzed normal life in Kalat, with mounting frustration among citizens. Protesters demanded that QESCO immediately withdraw the inflated bills and end what they called “unjustified load-shedding.”
