The temperature has reduced in the city with another spell of rain on Thursday but the consumers are still in a fix with consistent power outages. The electricity was closed repeatedly on Wednesday night and throughout the day on Thursday. All parts of the city observed unscheduled power shutdowns paralysing the routine life.
The availability of water was also disturbed badly as the Water and Sanitation Agency could not run the tube wells without electricity. The consumers said they had no relief in power outages despite rain. “I could not sleep properly as there was no electricity at night,” said a banker Khalid Mehmood, adding that it was hard to work without taking ample rest.
He said the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) should supply electricity at least during the night so that people may sleep well. “The LESCO can close power during the day, when there is heavy load in offices and business centers but what is the point in closing electricity during the night when there is no load on system,” another consumer Javed Saleem said. Traders said their businesses were being badly disturbed because of power cuts.
“The customers do not come because of power outages. Humidity is high and we cannot switch on air conditioners,” said Babar Ali, a shopkeeper at Liberty Market, adding that running generators increased the cost of doing business. According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), the power shortfall on Tuesday remained 5,825MW with demand touching 18,706MW while generation steady at 12,881MW.
