Power and the people

Urgent steps are required to restore power supply in Punjab where outages as long as 22 hours are being reported.

Punjab is threatening to fall into crisis, as a result of a power shortfall that has quite literally paralysed commercial life and left domestic consumers in deep distress. With power flickering on for one hour and then off for another in many parts of Lahore, while it remains suspended for far longer periods in other areas of the city and in smaller towns, the riots that we are seeing all over the country can only be expected. They have occurred in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Kasur among other places. The business community in Faisalabad, a commercial hub in the province, has agreed to observe a ‘black day’ against the acute power shortage on April 8, with traders and industrialists saying that more and more jobs are being lost by the day as machinery grinds to a standstill.

Given the situation, the anger and desperation of people is easy to understand. Tens of thousands of daily wagers are stated to be unable to find jobs. It is no wonder that in so many places chaos prevails on the roads with tyres being burnt, vehicles being smashed and offices attacked. People clearly feel they have no choice but to take matters into their own hands, or at least make their sentiments known. The PML-N has warned it will join the protests, while promises from the central government of a rapid improvement in the situation have yet to materialise.

Even as businesses collapse by the day, a lack of clarity persists as to the reasons for the problem. The inability of the government to purchase furnace oil, contributing to the build-up of circular debt, is said to be a key issue. So is the wastage of power through an aging distribution system and the country’s dwindling supply of gas. While a long-term approach is needed to resolve the situation, right now urgent steps are required to restore power supply and end the crisis in a province where outages lasting as long as 22 hours are being reported. Unless this is done, we will just see further mayhem and more severe economic losses.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2012.