- Protest comes 10 days after KP govt brought promises from Islamabad that load shedding would be reduced in province
Dozens of men after being irked by the hours long load shedding, and the incessant attack by mosquitoes, closed a road outside the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) head office on Monday.
They torched a tyre and shouted slogans against the PESCO management and the minister of water and power, Pakistan.
The protest came 10 days after the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) brought promises from Islamabad that load shedding would be reduced in the area.
But these protesters said they are subjected to 22 hours load shedding in a day making it impossible to fill their water tanks. “Our water taps are dried and the mosques are running out of water supply which is making it difficult for people to offer prayers,” said Mohammad Ayaz, one of the protesters who was holding a handwritten-placard with a slogan against PESCO.
The angry protesters attacked a vehicle which was trying to get into the PESCO offices, but no vehicle was damaged.
“Our children are screaming because of mosquitoes and hot weather while the taps are dry,” said Ghazanfar Ali Shah, another protester.
“If you ask PESCO they say they have a formula provided by Lahore under which more losses areas are subjected to maximum hours of load shedding while those with low losses or zero losses have less number of hours. We do not accept this self-manufactured formula under which every area of the poor population is showing high losses and rich areas are showing low losses,” he added.
He said PESCO should clear the issue with non-paying consumers and stop punishing those who pay regularly.
Ghazanfar and Arshad who negotiated with PESCO management were told that they will be provided six hours of light in a day if they end their protest and return back to their homes but the protesters refused the offer and preferred to stay on the road.
“We have brought our bills which show that we fulfil our responsibility and we want to highlight the corruptions of PESCO employees who give patronage to thieves and give them cover. The Minister for Water and Power, Abid Sher, Ali should reform his own staff rather than call us thieves,” said a 70-year old Mohammad Salim. He was angry at the federal government for subjecting the province to extreme load shedding despite the fact that it generates electricity.
