Load shedding turns up the heat

Ever since Saturday night, citizens across the country, especially in Punjab, have been subjected to the worst form of load shedding stretching up
to four hours at a go.
Coupled with intense June heat, prolonged power outages wreaked havoc with the people’s peace of mind and body throughout Saturday night and the entire stretch of Sunday.
Generators were reported to have run out of fuel and back up power supply in the form of UPSs were said to have run out of steam in wait for the electricity to be restored, but no respite was attained.
Several urban centers remained without power for up to 22 hours on Sunday, while reports from far flung areas said rural centers had been provided electricity for a few hours in several days.
To add to the continued misery of people, the National Electricity Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Sunday issued a notification announcing yet another increase in power tariff by Rs 1.98 per unit with effect from November 2012, again under the head of fuel adjustment.
Angry citizens disregarded blistering heat and humidity on Sunday to register their protests out on the roads, violently in some areas. Residents across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took to the streets, ransacking public installations and setting several vehicles on fire.
Protestors in Faisalabad blocked the main Faisalabad-Samundari road against load shedding for several hours. Police resorted to tear gas firing to disperse the demonstrators, who retaliated with pelting stones at the force.
The demonstrators said they had been facing 20 to 22 hours of electricity load shedding daily and did not even have drinking water. In Multan, traders protested against the prolonged power outages, chanting slogans against the government, burning tyres and blocking traffic.
Demonstrations were also held in Chakwal, Jhelum and Attock, where traders and ordinary people took to the roads and raised slogans against power shortages.
They lamented that they were not only forced to bear long hours of power breakdowns, but were even unable to get water from tubewells and water supply units due to electricity being cut. People also staged a huge protest in Pakpattan and blocked the Multan-Kasur Road, jamming traffic for hours.
A violent protest was held in Chichawatni, where people attacked the Saddar police station, set seven official motorcycles on fire and broke the gate of the station’s prison room.
A private TV channel said seven prisoners fled taking advantage of the clash. Police later registered a case against 150 people for violent protests. The protestors also attacked the house and office of MNA Zahid Iqbal and damaged the property. Police had to resort to aerial firing to disperse the violent crowd.
In Gujrat, protesters blocked the GT Road to protest against load shedding, while similar demos were held in Muridke and Kamonki as well. Protests were also recorded in Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur and adjoining towns.
Report from Miranshah said North Waziristan had been without electricity for the past three days. Locals quoted WAPDA officials as saying that the supply line for the agency had been disconnected from Islamabad.
In Peshawar, people were forced to simmer in blistering heat for up to 16 hours on Sunday. Some areas were reported to have been without power for at least seven hours at a stretch.
A resident of University Town said power cuts “are long and it gets very difficult for us to bear the hot weather. When there is electricity, the voltage is so low that air conditioners and air coolers do not work”.
More than 20 hours of load shedding was reported in several districts of KP. Swabi was said to have been without power supply since Saturday night. The situation was not much different Buner, Mardan and Malakand.
Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Director General Ijaz Qureshi said the ministries of finance and petroleum were equally responsible along with the company for power outages.
He said the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) had already warned the government that if the power crisis was not resolved, the electricity supply system would be rendered paralyzed in the next few days.
Officials said the demand for power had reached 18,396MW against generation of 10,421MW.
Officials in the Ministry of Water and Power said required fuel and gas were not being provided to power houses, therefore, the generation of electricity had reduced.
Taking notice of the situation, President Asif Ali Zardari directed Water and Power Minister Ahmed Mukhtar to immediately take measures and resolve the issue.