Unscheduled load shedding: Protesters up in arms against MEPCO

Say they haven’t had electricity for four days

DERA GHAZI KHAN/ MULTAN: Scores of residents of Ali Town held a demonstration against unscheduled load shedding on Wednesday in front of the Multan Electric Power Company office in New Multan.

They shouted slogans against the government and held up placards. “The government is apathetic to our plight and has left us to fend for ourselves in the scorching heat,” a protester said.

The protesters said that the government had promised there would be no load shedding during sehr, iftar and taraveeh. “That was a load of bilge,” said a protester.

Nafeesa Bano, a resident of Ali Town, said they had not had electricity for the last four days because of technical faults in transformers. “We have complained to MEPCO about this several times but they have not done anything to restore electricity to our area.” She said they had been suffering for the last four days in sweltering heat. Ali Town is located on Budhla Road.

The protesters burned tyres on the road and blocked it for traffic.

“It is extremely hard to survive without electricity in this heat. I don’t think any of us have been able to prepare a sehr meal or go to work. It has become unbearable and painful but the authorities are not ready to solve our issues,” Muhammad Wajid, a protester, said.

Officials of the MEPCO office, however, said electricity had been restored to Ali Town. “They’re complaining about unscheduled load shedding but there’s no unscheduled load shedding…power supply is suspended on schedule.”

 

MEPCO officials said six hours of load shedding had been announced for cities and eight hours for villages. “The problem occurs when demand for power exceeds the load a transformer can take. That causes transformers to trip and stop working.”

Protest in Dera Ghazi Khan

Hundreds of people on Wednesday held a demonstration in Dera Ghazi Khan against Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO).

The protesters, residents of Abraind Wala village, blocked the Dera-Multan Road near Mustapha Chowk. They shouted slogans against the MEPCO. They said that the transformer in their locality had broken down a week ago. “It is yet to be repaired or replaced. We have been living without electricity since,” said Latif Khan Wadani, a resident of the area. He said that they had requested the MEPCO staff several times to address the complaint. A police contingent, led by City DSP Hafiz Khizar, negotiated with the protesters. The protesters then dispersed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2016.