Roadside puncture workshops begin to disappear Repair workers shut shop, complain electricity connections difficult to acquire KARACHI: Once propped up along every highway and street corner in the city, makeshift puncture shops are soon becoming a thing of the past. In recent years, owing to increased crackdown on illegal electricity connections and encroachment sites, a large number of Karachi’s roadside puncture workers have had to close shop and search for other modes of employment. Those who remain however, complain of flailing business and inability to meet overheads amid strict policing and higher operation costs. “Electricity connections are difficult to acquire now. So most mechanics on the sidewalk prefer closing shop and going home before dark, instead of working late hours. Those who do operate at night, are usually ones employed at fuel stations where electricity [supply] is uninterrupted,” told Muhammad Imran, a local puncture worker.