Government will put an end to darkness of load shedding at all costs, said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while addressing the meeting of special committee on energy constituted by the prime minister presided over by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday. Federal Minister for Defense, Water and Power Khawaja Asif, secretaries of Ministries of Water and Power, Railways and provincial Energy minister and senior officials attended the meeting.
Shahbaz said that increase in the production of cheap hydro power is top priority of the government. He said that we have to jointly face the challenge of energy crisis and expressed the hope that we will overcome this problem. The CM said that reliance on thermal technology for generating electricity was the biggest mistake of the previous governments. He said that steps are being taken for resolving energy crisis at federal and provincial level under a multi-dimensional strategy which included implementation on energy generating projects through coal, solar and other alternative sources, eradication of electricity and gas theft and control over circular debts.
POWER CUTS PLUNGE LAHORE INTO WATER CRISIS:
Prolonged power cuts have caused an acute water shortage in some parts Lahore.
The citizens of the provincial capital are facing water woes because of the looming power problem.
The affected areas include parts of the walled city, Shad Bagh, Tajpura, Sabzazar, Ravi Road, Infantry Road and the adjoining regions. Several complaints have been lodged for long term water shortages making day-to-day activities difficult.
Unavailability of water is causing severe inconveniences. People are furious at the routine shutdowns causing water scarcity and are demanding an immediate end to the ongoing load shedding which has crippled the routine life.
The citizens are facing a glaring situation as power outages have increased due to an increase in temperature, making life and business miserable. As per media reports, Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) has been unable to procure transformers since June last year for various reasons. Moreover, the company has virtually run out of transformers and has been unable or unwilling to repair the burnt transformers, turning the situation critical.
During the month of Ramazan, the government has failed to keep up with the tall claims of fewer hours of power cuts. With the mercury surging towards 40 degrees Celsius, the ghost of unannounced and unremitting load shedding combined with water scarcity is haunting fast observers.
The urban areas continue to bear with load shedding between 10 to 12 hours a day whereas in rural areas it ranges from 12to 14 hours.
