Power Deals: Bahria residents protest against cuts

Bahria Town residents protested outside the house of the Bahria Town chief executive

LAHORE: Bahria Town residents, who are normally spared lengthy power outages, protested outside the house of the Bahria Town chief executive on Wednesday following days of fluctuating electricity supply. The protesting residents complained that those living in posher sections of the society – Safari Villas and the Overseas Enclave – were still getting an uninterrupted supply, while they had been deprived for 10-12 hours a day since Sunday, also affecting their water supply. The Bahria Town management closed their school on Tuesday and faced an angry mob of residents at protests outside their offices. Sher Alam, the general manager for electricity at Bahria Town, said that PEPCO had since Sunday decided to end their “understanding for an uninterrupted supply” to Bahria Town. Pepco Director General Ijaz Qureshi denied they had any such understanding with Bahria Town. “Maybe there was one in the past,” he said. Colonel (r) Farooq, another official, said that the electricity problem had been exacerbated by damage to power lines. He said the society would rent generators as a temporary solution.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2011.