KARAK: The residents of different areas took to streets here on Wednesday to protest suspension of power supply to their localities.

The protesters asked Peshawar Electric Supply Company to restore supply of power to their areas otherwise they would expand the protest to the entire district. They said that power suspension, unscheduled loadshedding and low voltage created shortage of drinking water in the areas.

The protesters, led by Lal Shahid, Mohammad Ishfaq Khattak and Gulzar Khan, marched on Karak-Palosa Sar Road and held a demonstration at Sangeni bus stop. They chanted slogans against Pesco.

The protesters threatened to launch a full-fledged movement in the district if Pesco failed to restore supply of power to their areas and continued to observe prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding.

They said that supply of power had been suspended to Ghundi Mir Khankhel, Saratkhel, Sangeni, Dabb, Isak Chountra and many other areas of Chountra for the last two days. They added that people were forced to hold protest.

The protesters said that entire Chountra was kept darkness and there was acute shortage of drinking water owing to power suspension. They said that prolonged power outages and more than 20 hours loadshedding on daily basis was tantamount to a joke with the people of the district.

The protesters said that 20 hours loadshedding made life of people miserable in the hot weather. They said that power outages damaged electric appliances and inflicted huge losses on consumers.

The protesters recalled that the PML-N government had promised after coming into power to get rid people of power loadshedding within a year but it failed to materialise the commitment even after a lapse of more than four years.

They demanded of Pesco to restore power supply to their areas and end unscheduled loadshedding otherwise they would expand the protest to the entire district.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017