Though Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had announced to stop load shedding during Pakistan and India cricket match, the outages proved to be lethal for many industries, which suffered long hours of outages. The long power closures before and after the cricket match resulted in suspension of production in many industries. The power was suspended for three to four hours in one go, making it impossible for the factories to operate. The industrial areas of Lahore, Faisalabad and Sheikhpura suffered outages and as a result manufacturing industries suffered badly. It was a holiday in some industries but many were operating to meet the shortfall but were forced to close down production due to power suspension.
PEPCO on the instructions of PM Gilani gave relief to the domestic users for watching Pakistan and India cricket match. However, there were a couple of shut downs during the match at some grid stations but at the same time the industries were denied electricity for long hours. The power closure started early in the morning and electricity was closed for two to three hours in one go. The industries and commercial sectors were not given relief and it load shedding. The outages also started after the match ended.
The manufacturers said the recent wave of load shedding had already crippled their businesses and giving relief only for watching cricket match was injustice. “People are already suffering due to the power outages and adding insult to injury government closed industries only for the sake of one cricket match,” said a plastic industry manufacturer Sikander Afzal adding that a number of industries required power regularly for manufacturing but closure of power meant end of jobs for many people. He said power was cut off for long hours before and after the match. “We have to call off the shift only because of closure of electricity,” he added. Another businessman, Mubeen Malik, said the load shedding increased as soon the PM announced to give relief during cricket match. He said PEPCO was bridging the shortfall by doing extra load shedding.
“It was a political stunt of giving electricity during cricket and it is only to divert people’s attention but in fact it deprived many individuals from their wages,” he added.
“I didn’t make anything today because our factory couldn’t operate,” said Ghulam Haider, a daily wage worker at a factory in the outskirts of Lahore, “I don’t know what excuse to make before my hungry family.”
It is pertinent to mention that during second tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he used to instruct state television for showing less advertisement during 1999 cricket World Cup. “Such announcements are merely made for winning people’s sympathies and all leaders adopt such tactics,” a banker Sadeed Ather added.
Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) Public Relations Additional Director Javed Ahmed Khan said no forced outages were carried for the domestic users during cricket match while the load shedding schedule for other sectors like industries and commercial sectors remained the same.
For us to watch the match, many had to sleep hungry
