PM fiddles while countrymen sizzle

The electricity shortfall in the country on Wednesday climbed to 8,200MW due to a shortage of fuel supply to power stations, leading to massive violent protests across the country by citizens irked by soaring temperatures coupled with load shedding of up to 20 hours a day.
PEPCO said fuel supply to power houses had been reduced and the Finance Ministry still hasn’t paid outstanding dues to Independent Power Producers.
Reacting to the worsening crisis, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani presided over a meeting of Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB) on Wednesday to review progress of private power projects and their future portfolio, with a view to increase power generation to overcome electricity shortage in the country. Gilani directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release Rs 1.5 billion to WAPDA to settle the remaining claims of IPPs.
He directed that a committee consisting of the deputy chairman of Planning Commission and secretaries of finance, economic affairs division, and water and power should be set up to facilitate the simplification of procedures aimed at attracting private sector investment in the energy sector. The WAPDA chairman told the meeting that Mangla Dam would be filled to capacity for the first time after completion of the Mangla Wall-Raising Project.
He said the project would make 2.9MAF additional water available, making a contribution of Rs 18 billion per annum to the country’s economy.
The prime minister said the democratic government had put in diligent and dedicated efforts to improve the power situation despite various challenges. He said the IPPs had always played a pivotal role in developing power sector. “It is evident from the fact that presently there are 28 IPPs providing reliable power in the country,” he said.
While the prime minister praised his government’s achievements, citizens across the country took to the streets in scorching heat to protest against massive load shedding.
Urban centers across the country are being subjected to power cuts of up to 18 hours a day, while 20 hours of load shedding is being carried out in rural areas.
PEPCO sources said the required fuel and gas were not being provided to power houses, therefore, the generation of electricity had reduced, adding that PEPCO had informed the government that if the current power crisis was not resolved, the power system would be rendered paralyzed in the next few days.
They said more than 300 grid stations across the county had been affected due to the shortage of fuel, as a result the grid stations tripped after every 15 minutes.
Frustrated by the situation, people in Faisalabad took out a rally on the main road in protest against load shedding.
The protesters gathered at Ghanta Ghar Chowk and blocked the main road for several hours, stopping the movement of every kind of traffic.
The enraged people attacked a FESCO office located in the Civil Lines area and ransacked the equipment.
They tore out official record and beat staff in sheer anger.
Strong protests were also held in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Jaffarabad, Naseerabad and other small and major cities of the country.
In Nankana Sahib, hundreds of farmers held a protest against prolonged power cuts, saying they had been severely affected by electricity load shedding.