Long, hot summer

Actions so far taken may be pointers to the government’s sincere resolve to tackle the huge power default problem.

With summer already upon us, the government and the people can unmistakably sense a power crunch coming. Choosing the right time to declare an unpalatable truth, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif told a press conference on May 2 that the people will just have to tolerate electricity load-shedding. His frank and forthright warning of frequent and prolonged power cuts in the three months of sweltering heat comes in the backdrop of countrywide protests against power outages. The demonstrations, currently small and scattered, are likely to grow in scale and intensity as the mercury soars. The ones already happening have sometimes turned violent and sometimes taken the form of satire-comedy. Take, for instance, a unique protest which the residents of Tank staged in mid-April against unscheduled power outages by holding mock funerals of government functionaries and public representatives. This is a foretaste of things to come.

The people, already groaning under the weight of poverty and unemployment, will find their patience wearing thin if authorities fail to provide them power during days when the sun blazes mercilessly. But, as is apparent to the discerning eye, the government functionaries’ hands are tied. They are constrained by inefficiencies that cripple the nation’s electricity generation and distribution system, which, in turn, leaves the power grid overstretched. Exacerbating the problem is the issue of widespread power theft. As Khawaja Asif acknowledged in no uncertain terms, the federal government is the country’s biggest electricity defaulter. So are the provincial governments, a fact the minister left unsaid. He issued a stern warning to defaulters, saying that whoever does not pay their electricity bills will not get power supply.

Fighting words indeed, but one must leave one’s fingers crossed till such a vow is translated into action. Actions so far taken, such as cutting power supply to state institutions, may be pointers to the government’s sincere resolve to tackle the huge power default problem. But similar moves in the past, launched with a bang, have often ended in a whimper. Let us hope the current drive does not.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2014.

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