Mercury, outages go up after brief respite

People complained about unscheduled load-shedding

LAHORE: After just a short respite, citizens were again hard hit by unscheduled power outages as scattered rains fell over different parts of the province.

Locals from various areas of the provincial capital complained about unscheduled load-shedding as mercury and humidity levels rose after the rains. Various people said they were facing prolonged outages during Sehri and Iftar hours.



“Load-shedding in my neighbourhood has increased since Friday evening. Unscheduled power outages and frequent tripping have ruined routine life in the holy month of Ramazan,” said Kashif Khan.

A resident of Islam Park, Salamat Ali, said a power transformer in their area was blown up on Thursday and people were running from pillar to post to get it installed.

“A few of our neighbours protested in front of the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) office, but were still awaiting a replacement of the faulty transformer,” he said. The resident added the absence of power had also created a water shortage in the area.



Similar remarks were made by other citizens who were suffering prolonged hours of load-shedding. Ahmad Raza from Mall Road said the situation was badly affecting his business activities.

He demanded that electricity be supplied to commercial areas and markets during Eid. “It will not only help generate economic activity, but also provide employment to many,” he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2017.