Balochistan blackouts: Sibi-Harnai power line blown up

Power shortage in Baloch­istan increases as militants targeted a high-power transmission line.

QUETTA:

Power shortage in Baloch­istan increased as militants targeted the 132KV Sibi-Harnai high-power transmission line in Sibi district on Thursday.

Over the past five days, Balochistan has been experiencing massive power outages, affecting more than 15 districts, including the provincial capital.

The power utility in the provincial capital is carrying out rolling blackouts lasting about 12 hours, while the duration is between 20 and 22 hours elsewhere.

“The repair work will take a week or more,” said the spokesperson of the Quetta Electricity Supply Company (Qesco).

In Mastung, angry growers and domestic consumers took out a protest rally, demonstrating on the RCD Highway, suspending traffic between Quetta and Karachi for more than six hours.

The protestors said that
they were getting power supply for just an hour on any
24-hour period.

“Our crops are being affected. The power outages have resulted in an acute shortage of water,” they said.

Protesters dispersed after officials of the district administration held talks and assured them that their problems would immediately be taken up with authorities concerned.

In Surab, people besieged a grid station and called for immediate restoration of power supply. Angry people said that the power supply to Kalat and Khuzdar districts had been suspended for the past five days.

People criticised the government for not protecting its installations, saying that power pylons were being targeted almost on a daily basis..

Responding to a query over the delay in repair work, Qesco spokesperson Shafqat Khan said that repair
work was started immediately after the provincial authorities assured them about the safety of their crew.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2011.