Prolonged power cuts: Residents of College Town block road in protest

Disperse after assurances of resumption of electricity by evening.

KOHAT:

Residents of College Town blocked Kohat-Rawalpindi Road in protest over prolonged power outages on Tuesday, bringing traffic to a complete halt.

Led by elders Saleem Khan and Muhammad Ajmal, protesters blocked the road with bricks and chanted slogans against Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) officials and the government.

The electricity transformer in College Town has not been working for the past six days despite multiple complaints and visits to Pesco officials, said Saleem while addressing the protestors.



He said Pesco officials took the transformer, but never repaired or reinstalled it. He claimed they had warned officials on Monday that protesters will block the road if the power supply is not restored. Saleem said he visited Pesco officials before the protest and told them people have been waiting for a week, but the transformer has still not been repaired.

Later, Sub-Divisional Officer Saifur Rahman visited the protesters and assured them the transformer would be installed by evening. He also told them that if Pesco officials fail to resolve the issue, they will provide electricity from an alternative transformer. Following this, the demonstrators dispersed peacefully and re-opened the road.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2013.