GILGIT: About 22 hours long power outages have paralysed routine life in Gilgit city, the headquarters of Gilgit-Baltistan region, hitting businesses and slowing work at government and private offices.

A social activist, Naib Shah Rana, told Dawn that illegal connections and power supply to influential and VIPs through special lines was one of the main reasons of energy crisis. He said due to power breakdowns, foreign tourists avoided to visit the region thus, badly damaging the tourism industry, which is the lifeline of the region’s economy.

He noted that millions of rupees had been embezzled in the name of repair and maintenance of the existing power transmission system, but there was no improvement on the ground.

Mr Rana alleged rampant corruption in the power department, but said no one was taking action against the malpractice being committed by influential politicians and bureaucrats.

Safdar Hussain Manwa, a first year student, stated that he was unable to prepare for the annual examination which was starting in the current month.

Nazakat Ali, a journalist, said that he could not file his stories due to power outages and had received many notices from his organisation.

When contacted GB secretary water and power, Faisal Zahoor said that electricity generation had reduced from 30 megawatt to only 12 megawatt from Naltar and Kargah power stations due to decrease in water flow in rivers, causing loadshedding of 22 hours.

He said the total demand of electricity for the city was 40 megawatt. He said with the increase in water flow due to melting of snow during summer, loadshedding would be reduced.

Mr Zahoor said work on three nine megawatt hydro power projects in Jogolot, Bagrot and Kargah was underway, and these projects will be complete within two three months.

He informed that the local power department had sent PC-1 of a 20-megawatt hydel project at Hanzal in Ghizer to the federal government for approval. The power department official said four megawatt thermal power was also produced for Gilgit city to meet power shortage from December to February every year, but this time around oil couldn’t be purchased to run the generators due to unavailability of funds.

The official admitted that there were special transmission lines in the capital city providing electricity to VIPs.

He said power theft was rampant and billing system was outdated in the region. He said the power department had handed a list of households using power from special lines to the region’s chief secretary for action.