No let-up in power outages across Punjab

Gas supply disruption adds to woes of citizens

LAHORE:

Despite strict instructions by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to curtail frequent power outages, the authorities concerned have failed to provide relief from load-shedding to residents of the urban and rural areas alike.

Around 10 hours of scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding was witnessed in the provincial capital and over 12 hours in the suburban and rural areas across Punjab. In addition to frequent power outages, complaints of disruption of gas supply and low pressure were also received from a number of areas. In various areas, citizens also staged small protest demonstrations against frequent power outages, complaining that they had suspended routine activities in most localities.

Speaking to The Express Tribune on Sunday, a citizen of Lahore, Rahim Buksh, said the government had multiplied the power tariff but still there was no regular electricity supply even in urban areas. He said unscheduled electricity loadshedding had made the life of common people miserable. “The present rulers came into power with a promise to reduce then tariffs of petroleum products, electricity and gas.

They were organising rallies against the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on the pretext of high inflation. Today, after coming into power, they are doing the exact opposite to their claims and promises. The tariffs of petroleum products, natural gas and electricity have been jacked up to please the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he complained. A housewife, Maria Khan, highlighted the natural gas supply pressure had dropped in the Township, Wapda Town, Johar Town and adjoining areas during the past couple of days.

She said it had become very difficult to cook food and bread because of the low gas supply. Demanding steps by the authorities concerned to rein in the electricity and gas crises, she said it appeared that the government had failed to provide even basic necessities to the common citizens and it had fixed all its focus on ending the corruption cases against the rulers.

The National Transmission and Dispatch Company’s (NTDC) statistics showed that electricity shortfall in the country had continued to rise and surpassed 7,000 megawatts (MW). The NTDC data highlighted that power generation in the country was hovering around 20,000MW, while the demand had surpassed 27,000MW. Official sources indicated that the provincial capital and other big cities might experience over 12 hours of power load-shedding.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on Saturday issued stern warnings to officials of the energy ministry to rein in the crisis without delay, telling them that failure to do so would earn them dismissal from their service. In an emergency meeting to discuss the burgeoning crisis, the prime minister reprimanded the officials while rejecting their explanations for the biting load-shedding and directed the energy minister and finance ministry to plug the energy shortfall and furnish a viable plan for the purpose within 24 hours.

However, the situation could not be improved even in the urban areas after 24 hours. The prime minister had earlier announced that the power load-shedding would end by May 1 but he failed to keep his promise as June 1 also passed but no respite from power outages was being expected soon, said another citizen, Ashraf Chaudhry, while commenting on the situation