Load shedding woes: Negotiations with FESCO turn sour

Traders and industrialists scuffle over who would get most relief.

FAISALABAD: The Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company (FESCO) amended the load shedding schedule for the city, following a heated debate with several traders and industrialists in a meeting on Monday said FESCO spokesman Tahir Sheikh.

Two delegations led by Anjuman-i-Tajiran President Khawaja Shahid Razzaq Sikka and former Sizing Industries Association president Mirza Muhammad Shafiq went to the FESCO headquarters to complain about unscheduled heavy load shedding. They met with DCO Muhammad Ameen Chaudhary and FESCO chief Rana Abdul Jabbar. They told them that trading and industrial activities had halted in the city because of unscheduled load shedding.

Shafiq and Sikka got into an argument during the meeting over which areas would get most relief from load shedding. The two representatives exchanged angry words that turned into a scuffle between their delegations.

FECSO authorities asked one delegation to leave the room and continued talks with the other.
When the negotiations appeared to have failed, both groups chanted slogans against the FESCO.

The FESCO then issued an amended load management schedule to placate the angry traders and industrialists. According to the schedule, electricity supply to several industries would remain shut from 6pm to 12am. This would save 100MW that would be redirected to domestic consumers, Sheikh said.

Traders warn of sit-in

The Anjuman-i-Tajran has given the FESCO 24 hours to end unscheduled load shedding in commercial areas, after which they would protest in front of the FESCO headquarters.

Speaking at a meeting at Jhang Bazaar, Sikka said load shedding took place for 20 to 22 hours a day in several areas. If electricity supply to these areas was not restored within 24 hours, the FESCO and the ministry of petroleum would be responsible for law and order problems in the city, Sikka said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2013.