In the dark: Lower Dir residents decry power crisis

Say there is electricity for less than an hour a day

TIMERGARA: Residents from various villages of Khal tehsil of Lower Dir held a sit-in over prolonged power outages and low voltage in the district on Saturday.

A large number of people gathered at Gopalam area and later took out a rally to the Khal police station. The demonstrators held placards and banners against government and Wapda officials. They also shouted slogans against authorities and Pesco officials for the unscheduled load-shedding.

The protesters were headed by representatives of various political parties. They held a sit-in outside Khal police station and blocked the road connecting Lower Dir and Peshawar. The speakers, including ANP’s Muhammad Zaib and PPP’s Malik Qadir Jan, said residents of the district were suffering greatly due to unannounced power outages.

They claimed there is electricity for less than 60 minutes of the 24-hour day, while low voltage is also a major concern. A majority of residents said children, students and patients have borne the brunt of this problem, while business and other routine activities have been severely affected by the power crisis. The protesters threatened to hold province-wide strikes if their demands are not met.

Later, Additional Assistant Commissioner Shah Jamil and Wapda SDO Bakht Munir negotiated with the protesters and assured them that their grievances would be addressed. The demonstrators ultimately dispersed and the road was opened for traffic.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.