Power cuts hit Peshawar, Chitral
Residents threaten to stage sit-ins and block roads failing a solution within 24 hours
People from different walks of life in Peshawar and Chitral yesterday threatened to stage a sit-in if the hours-long power cuts in their areas didn’t come to an end within 24 hours.
In a separate statement, they warned of launching a protest movement and blocking main roads, locking down Wapda House and circling the power houses if the problem was not resolved soon. They said the step-motherly attitude towards their areas would not be tolerated any more. “It is not a justified act that during the holy month of Ramadan there was five hours long load-shedding on daily basis despite the district producing more electricity as it needed,” one of the elderly residents said.
PM’s assurance crops up
They said the excessive load shedding is not causing miseries to domestic consumers but also business has come to a standstill. They said authorities at the Pesco utility should take the matter seriously or be held responsible for any untoward events.
Chitral boasts sufficient power generation and even a 15 megawatt surplus, residents said. They said former prime minister Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi had announced that there would be no load shedding in Chitral upon the inauguration of 107-megawatt Golain power station when its 35-megawatt first phase was completed earlier this year.
The people of Chitral have long complained that they are compelled to end their Ramadan fast on the river bank due to prolonged load-shedding.
Meanwhile, residents of Charsadda road in Peshawar called the utility office and expressed concerns about the power cuts in Sehri and Aftar.