No respite for domestic users

LAHORE: Some domestic consumers are facing power outages despite Pakistan Electric Power Company’s (Pepco) recent announcement that there is uninterrupted power supply.

The cause, The Express Tribune learnt, lies with Lahore Electric Supply Company’s (Lesco) allotment of domestic connections from commercial and industrial feeders. According to Lesco officials, around 15 per cent domestic users in the city are getting electricity on commercial connections. Many areas including Gulberg, Model Town, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Muslim Town, Allama Iqbal Town, Samanabad, Liberty Market and Township faced power outage for two hours.

The consumers complained that Pepco had no reason to continue with power outages now that the temperature has plummeted and water levels have risen in dams. According to a Pepco official, the demand and supply figures for Lahore have been balanced in the past few days.

Pepco Energy Management Conservation director-general Muhammad Khalid said that demand and supply both stood at 2,700 megawatts at 9 pm on Friday (yesterday). Umar Nazir, a Gulberg resident, said, “The demand for electricity has gone down significantly after the recent rains and pleasant weather but we still had no electricity for two hours on Friday and Saturday.”

Another consumer, Hassan Siddiqi of Iqbal Town, said that Pepco announced a relief for domestic consumers and was now closing power in the name of commercial connections. Khalid, the Pepco official, said that commercial connections have to be closed from 8 pm to 10 pm and if domestic users are getting electricity on commercial connections “then there is no immediate way out and they have to bear it.”

Khalid claimed that there were no outages on Friday night, but when told about the consumer complaints he assured that he would look into the mater. Lesco Public Relations director Javed Khan stated that the outages could be due to a technical fault. He too admitted that commercial connections were being used by many domestic consumers but said, “This problem can not be solved.”