PHC issues notices to Centre, K-P over increase in load-shedding

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court has issued notices to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, federal secretary water and power and regional control centre (RCC) general manager over the increase in power outages.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan was hearing a petition filed by Nauman Wazir on Wednesday.

Wazir’s counsel Advocate Hashim Raza told the court the duration of unannounced outages has multiplied several folds and the federal government discriminates in the distribution of electricity. Raza said the federal ministry is violating the supply quotas, fixed as per requirement for every province, adding the load-shedding schedules are not followed.

The court was further informed that despite contributing more than any other province to the national grid, K-P experiences the longest power outages. Load-shedding has broken the back of the already struggling industry and domestic consumers are also bearing the brunt. “The National Transmission and Despatch Company has cut down on K-P’s share of electricity,” the court was told.

The bench was requested to direct relevant authorities to treat K-P at par with other provinces. After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to K-P government, federal power secretary and RCC general manager and directed them to submit written responses by the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2015.