January 14, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 23, 1427

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MULTAN, Jan 13: The Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) has increased the duration of loadshedding that stands at three to seven hours in several feeders, Dawn has learnt.

Long-hour power outages are affecting the farm sector in south Punjab.

Former Pakistan Cotton Ginning Association vice chairman Sajjad Hussain Goraya said that four to six hours daily shutdowns/failures had affected the ginning industry in Rajanpur and Vehari.

Central All Pakistan Powerlooms Association General Secretary Khaliq Qandeel Sandhu warned if Mepco did end loadshedding by Jan 15, the association would start holding demonstrations against it.

He said the government had hinted at the possibility of increasing the price of electricity but any such move would close down 150,000 powerlooms units in the country.

The loadsheding has also affected life in Muzaffargarh. Maulana Muhammad Rafique, Khalid Mehmood Zia and Qari Muhammad Ajmal condemned the practice and warned if Mepco did not stop power outage, resolutions would be passed against the company in Friday sermons.

Traders of Khangarh warned that they would organise a protest rally and besiege the Mepco offices in Muzaffargarh.

People in Salaar Wahin said the authorities had been switching off electricity supply from the Bosan feeder for six to seven hours everyday.

Dawn also received similar complaints from Makhdoompur Pahoran, Lodhran, Kotaddu and Layyah.

MPA Javed Siddiqi said power outages showed the failure of the government.

He said that one day the prime minister and the federal power and water minister announced that there would be no loadshedding but the next day the Water and Power Development Authority announced that loadshedding would continue.

He said that a military dictator had left loadshedding as his legacy in the 1980s. Later, the Pakistan People’s Party during its 1993 to 1997 tenure ended power outages through effective policies. Now another dictator was plunging the nation in darkness.

Mepco Chief Executive Agha Nazim Ali said the ministry had informed Mepco on daily basis that how much megawatts should be consumed. “Hence the company cannot announce any prior schedule of outages,” he said.