MANSEHRA: A large number of people blocked the Karakoram Highway against prolonged power outages in the district on Saturday night, raising slogans against the government and Wapda. The road remained blocked for over two hours causing hardships to commuters.

“We warn the government to immediately restore power supply to the district from the Khan Khawar hydropower project, otherwise we will be left with no option but to cut power supply to national grid from the power project,” warned Shahzada Gustasab Khan, former opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, while speaking to protesters at Shinkiari.

Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N MPA Salah Mohammad Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Gustasab Khan said that since power supply to the district was stopped from the Khan Khawar hydropower project, people had been witnessing over 18 hours of outages daily.

Speaking on occasion, Salah Mohammad said that all the local lawmakers of his party were against stoppage of power supply to the district directly from Khan Khawar project. He said that they would take up with the federal government the issue of stoppage of electricity supply from the power project.

TIMERGARA: The Talash Dushkhel Qaumi Jirga on Sunday demanded of the government and Wapda to take notice of the prolonged power outages and repair faulty transformers within a week in Talash.

The jirga warned that they would start protests against the government and block roads if the unscheduled power outages were not stopped. The decision was made during a meeting of the jirga held at Kalpani with its president Mohammad Ibrahim in the chair.

The jirga members from all the four union councils of Talash attended the meeting, which was addressed by Mr Ibrahim, general secretary Dr Noor Mohammad, Taj Mohammad, Shamsul Hassan, Mohammad Irshad, Sher Mohammad and others.

The jirga said that its delegation would soon meet the Lower Dir deputy commissioner, executive engineer Wapda, Timergara, DPO Lower Dir and lawmakers of the area to convey resentment of the people of Talash to them concerning the electricity loadshedding in the area. It said that they would bring people on the roads if the authorities concerned failed to resolve the problem. The jirga also demanded of the government to resume work on gas supply to the area.

KARAK: People of Guddikhel have been facing severe hardships due to suspension of power supply to the area for the last four days. Peshawar Electric Supply Company has disconnected supply to the area over non-payment of bills.

President of Guddikhel Islahi Jirga, a local rights’ organisation, Shaheenullah told Dawn on Sunday that power suspension had created severe water shortage and the people were suffering during the fasting month.

He said that due to power suspension the people were migrating to Mianwali district of Punjab as they were facing acute shortage of drinking water. He said women had to fetch water for domestic use from far off areas.

Mr Shaheen claimed that many people got fainted due to severe heat wave and some were hospitalised. He threatened that people would take to the streets if Pesco didn’t restore power supply in 24 hours.

Pesco Takht-i-Nusrati sub-divisional officer Nasrullah Khan Khattak said power supply had been disconnected due to nonpayment of liabilities and monthly bills. He resolved that supply would remain suspended until people deposited bills along with liabilities.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2014