PM orders end to unannounced power outage

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday ordered to end unannounced load shedding.

According to the details, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the issues of load shedding and stopping electricity theft.

The meeting was also briefed on the meeting held by the Ministry of Energy with the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur.

The briefing also informed that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has assured to control power theft, to which the Prime Minister appreciated the progress in the meeting with Ali Amin.

Ministry of Energy further said that load shedding is being done only on loss-making feeders. Shehbaz Sharif said that people are facing problems due to extreme heat, it is the responsibility of all concerned institutions to stop electricity theft.

He stated that people should be given relief in the heat.

It is pertinent to note that today it was revealed that despite the reduction of 5,000 megawatts in electricity demand across the country this year compared to last year, the shortfall of electricity has persisted.

Last year, the demand for electricity was up to 28,000 megawatts, while this year in May, the demand has decreased to 23,000 megawatts. According to the power division, while only 18 megawatts of electricity is available.

Despite the reduction in demand, the shortfall of 4,000 MW of electricity remains due to which load shedding is rampant across the country.

Along with the heat, power outages are also on the rise in the country, and the duration has reached 14 hours in various cities.

People protested against electricity load-shedding in Peshawar, in which protesters blocked the M1- motorway, causing long queues of vehicles on the road. The protestors refused to open the road until the authorities came for negotiations, saying that the duration of load-shedding had increased intolerably.

Later, the negotiations between the protesters and the local police were successful. After the negotiations, the highway was opened for traffic and the protesters also dispersed. The police have assured the meetig between elders with the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) authorities by June 3.

On the other hand, the people are worried about the long power outages in the small and big cities of the country, load shedding continues even after midnight in some areas of Karachi.

While, Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) has increased the load shedding period in Quetta from eight to 10 hours. Also, 12 hours load shedding is being done in the district headquarters including Turbat, Sibi, Nasirabad and Jafarabad.