Loadshedding outrage: Power protests spill onto highways, disrupt traffic

Vehicular traffic on GT Road, Motorway was suspended for hours.


Our Correspondent June 18, 2012

ISLAMABAD:


Hundreds of people agitated by lengthy power outages and unscheduled loadshedding blocked the Grand Trunk (GT) Road at two different points in Mandra and Gujjar Khan for hours.


Long queues of traffic including buses and truck plying between Lahore and Islamabad were seen at the blocked points. The Motorway police said they restored traffic as soon as the blockade was cleared.

However, the GT Road remained suspended for traffic for over an hour. Police said more than 200 people gathered at the highway near Mandra, where they forcefully stopped vehicles while pelting stones at some cars and burning tyres to bring traffic to a standstill.

Eyewitnesses said commuters and emergency vehicles remained stranded in the traffic jam for hours. “Hundreds of vehicles had lined up by the time the protests ended,” said a Motorway police official.

A similar blockade was witnessed in Gujjar Khan, where more than 300 people staged a similar protest and blocked the highway.

However the local police responded well in time and convinced the protesters to disperse, the Motorway police official said.

In the areas near Lahore, protesters got to the Motorway through the Faizpur Interchange and blocked it for traffic.

“We have a small force and cannot stop 400 plus people when they charge onto the road,” said another Motorway police official. He suggested that regular police be deployed at all interchanges on the Motorway to avoid interruption in the flow of traffic.

He added that traffic was diverted to avoid the troubled points but it did cause inconvenience to many. He said no motorway police property was damaged by the protesters.

No such protests were report on the Motorway close to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, although there was a protest against loadshedding at Committee Chowk in Rawalpindi. On Saturday, too, dozens of protestors blocked the 9th Avenue for traffic for over an hour.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2012.

COMMENTS (4)

Arif | 11 years ago | Reply

Following the 18th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, the provinces are now vested with full authority to develop power projects of any capacity through the public or private sector and establish required regulatory framework. The Punjab Power Policy 2009 provides a framework for the development of power plants in both the public and private sector for joint venture projects. Will the Punjab government tell people how much electricity it has produced since it got the NFC share? Joint efforts were required to overcome the energy crisis in the country whereas the Punjab government is playing politics over the issue. Why is every fault of the Punjab government put on the shoulders of the federal government? All provinces were facing the power crisis, but violent protest demonstrations were being held in Punjab alone. Punjab had a potential to produce 800 megawatts (MW) through hydropower projects, but the province has not produced a single MW so far. It is not a wise policy to arouse the people of Punjab into a frenzy simply because you want to win their vote based on hatred for the PPP.

ABKhan | 11 years ago | Reply

@Shahid

Your comments show your level of ignorance. If there was a long march for load shading you would be saying why there is no long march for drones. According to you if one problem is not solved it means no one should talk about other problems either ...pathetic !!!!
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