RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD/TAXILA: The blackout that made the first fast miserable for the faithful in many parts of the country took its toll on residents of Rawalpindi as well, and residents of certain localities that had been deprived of electricity for over 20 hours took to the streets late on Friday night.

Protesters blocked Adiala Road, burnt tyres and raised slogans against the government, saying that much like their other promises, the ruling PML-N’s commitment to ensure no loadshedding during Sehr and Iftar timings had proven false.

“All the government’s claims regarding elimination of loadshedding were lies. During the 2013 elections, PML-N leaders claimed they would get rid of loadshedding inside three months, but it has been more than two years now,” said PTI leader Zahid Kazmi.

PPP City President Amir Fida Paracha said that loadshedding was just one of the areas where PML-N’s corruption had been exposed, but it was for the people to judge them and reject them in their protests.

Friday was quite a hot day in the twin cities and loadshedding disrupted nearly everyone’s routine on the first day of Ramazan.

Residents Dawn spoke to complained of power outages at crucial times, when most people in the household were busy preparing sehri or iftari meals.

Several parts of twin cities, Taxila and Wah without power all-day Friday

“There was no power during three of my five daily prayers, namely Fajr, Maghrib and Isha and the Taraveeh prayers were also offered in the dark,” said Saleh Ahmed, resident of Asghar Mall Road.

He said that every household needed electricity to run kitchen appliances, without which there could be no sehri or iftari. He said that the loadshedding on Friday had caused water shortage in his locality.

Saleem Mughal, a resident of Arya Mohallah, said that most people paid their electricity bills regularly, but they did not get the uninterrupted power supply they were entitled to.

Muhammad Munir, a resident of Tipu Road, said that electricity “played hide and seek with us on the first day of Ramazan.”

“If electricity was available in packets like sugar, the chief minister would have distributed them, with the inscription ‘A gift from wazir-e-ala Punjab’ in the bazaars,” he joked.

In the capital, an Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) official claimed that the rising mercury had put a lot of pressure on the power supply and the difference between the demand and supply of electricity had increased.

Maqsood Ahmed, a resident of Sector G-9/4, told Dawn that power went out as soon as sehri-time was over on Friday.

“There were unscheduled outages all day long, which disrupted everyone’s routine,” he said.

An Iesco official, speaking on condition of anonymity, asked the people for understanding. “People should reduce their electricity usage at Sehr, Iftar and Taraveeh times,” he said.

The Ministry of Water and Power has also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary electricity use, because there is a shortfall of 1300 MW at Sehr, Iftar and Taraveeh times.

Similarly, many families in Taxila and Wah were forced to begin their fasts in candlelight as electricity disappeared in the city for several hours on Friday.

Power cuts continued during Sehri hours in Wahdat Colony, Kohsar Colony, Hassan Colony while Satellite Town and Lalazar, Ahmed Nagar and adjourning areas of Wah. Most areas were plunged into darkness between 2:30am and 7am.

Officials at the grid station said the power supply was cut off by the regional control centre in Islamabad and was not under their control. As the situation worsened, the concerned Iesco officials switched off their phones and did not attend complaints until about 9am.

“We have been without power since early morning. This is inhumane and the government should stop doing this to us,” said Shahida Perveen, a resident of Wahdat Colony.

Haji Saleem, a resident of Kohsar Colony, said the authorities claimed that loadshedding would not be a problem during crucial times in the day, but in reality, things were the other way round. “Instead of focusing on revenue generation, the power utility should improve its infrastructure to offer relief to the people,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2015

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