KARACHI – Enraged power consumers set afire three vehicles, damaged private and public properties after the KESC left Liaquatabad and Korangi sweltering in high temperatures on Sunday. KESC officials meanwhile said that electricity supply would not be restored until the clearance of dues by residents of Liaquatabad and Korangi. Perturbed over the shutdown, the irate consumers took to streets and resorted to arson attacks, leaving three vehicles burnt out, besides causing massive gridlocks on Shahrah-e-Pakistan and other key thoroughfares that lasted for over five hours. The KESC on Saturday assured that supply to their areas would be restored within 3 hours, the protestors said, and complained that their efforts drew a blank, as they continued to suffer in scorching weather. The angry protestors set ablaze a KESC truck and a rickshaw in Liaqutabad area. Later, scores of protestors ransacked KESC complaint office in FC area, damaging equipment and vehicles. They also pelted stones on passing vehicles.A massive contingent of the Sindh Rangers and Police was called in to bring the situation under control. The law enforcers used aerial firing and batons to placate the protests. According to DSP Wajahat Hussain, the power breakdown resulted when a PMT in Liaquatabad contracted a fault accidentally three days ago. He said the KESC did succeed in restoring supply to the locality in the wee hours of Sunday for just about two hours. He confirmed that only one truck was torched in Liaquatabad area.Similarly, scores of people staged a protest against water and power shortage in Noorani Basti of Korangi area. The protestors chanted slogans against the KESC and blocked major roads in the area. According to Fire Brigade officials, the police did not provide any security to their team because of which they could not extinguish the vehicles set on fire. Afterwards, heavy contingents of the Rangers and police were deployed due to uncertain condition of the locality. When contacted, KESC spokesman Ameenur Rehman said that residents of Apsra Apartment and Al-Karam Apartment were defaulters of Rs 400 million while residents of Korangi were nonpayer of Rs7.4 million.He pointed out that the KESC recovered only forty percent of the total receivable amount.