City swelters amid frequent power cuts
With the rise in the mercury level, scheduled and unscheduled electricity load shedding has increased in the provincial capital.
The load management schedule issued by the power utility company indicates that only two hours of load shedding are being conducted, but in reality, power outages lasting 6-8 hours are being observed in the city.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, various power consumers complained that frequent power outages have made their lives miserable in the scorching summer season.
One citizen, Muhammad Faiz, complained that the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) has sent inflated bills to power consumers to achieve its revenue target, but when it comes to service delivery, the company has no service standard.
He highlighted that in the past couple of weeks, after the rise in temperature across the country, the company has substantially increased load shedding in both urban and rural areas of the province.
Currently, scheduled and unscheduled load shedding is being observed in almost all areas of the provincial capital. Complaints of power fluctuation, voltage drop, and frequent tripping are also on the rise.
Another citizen, Najam-ul-Hassan, said electricity load shedding is being observed in his neighbourhood of Township after every other hour.
Despite registering complaints at the Lesco helpline, the power utility company has failed to ensure smooth electricity supply. In several areas, water shortage is also being witnessed due to electricity load shedding.
Lamenting the rulers, a middle-aged woman, Bushra Begum, said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government came into power with a promise to give economic relief to common citizens, but it has worsened the situation.
Although the government has almost doubled power tariffs, it has failed to provide relief to ordinary citizens.
Neither the government could reduce energy tariffs nor can it curtail commodity prices.
During a recent meeting with senior Lesco officials, business leaders urged the government and power utility company to take immediate steps to rein in electricity theft, reduce line losses, and improve the load management schedule as it is badly affecting the business and trade community.
They also demanded the power utility company to set up a separate helpline for industrial consumers and traders to resolve business community complaints on priority.
Business leader Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said Pakistan has the highest electricity tariffs in comparison to regional countries, but the business community is still facing frequent power outages, which are severely affecting their businesses.
An official of the power utility company disclosed that currently, there is over a 6,500MW gap between power generation and electricity demand in the country.
He highlighted that electricity demand is touching 28,000MW, but the total power generation in the country is slightly above 21,000MW, as official statistics show that hydro power generation stands at 7,037MW, thermal power at 9,856MW, wind power at 1,119MW, solar power at 120 MW, and nuclear power at 3,164MW.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2023.