FAISALABAD, July 11: The Punjab police have been put on high alert after reports of imminent protests by the anguished people owing to continuous power outages in urban and rural areas all over the province.

According to the police sources, the government and police secret branches in their recent reports had expressed fear that the wave of protests against loadshedding might take an ugly turn and become more violent. They have declared offices of the electricity supply companies and some government installations the “most sensitive” places these days.

The police higher-ups have reportedly directed the district police officers to depute armed guards outside the government offices, banks and other financial institutions, powerhouses and grid stations, besides the complaint offices of the power-supply companies.

The district police have accordingly deputed police contingents at all commercial centres, Fesco offices and government installations. The Fesco authorities have been asked by the police to arrange their own security as well.

Meanwhile, at least three- to four-hour power breakdowns and loadshedding continued paralysing domestic and commercial activities. The traders found the going hard as, they claimed, very few people turned up during loadshedding hours. They said they had been facing financial losses.

Equally perturbed by the situation are industrialists who said scores of textile units had been closed down and a number of workers rendered jobless.