KOHAT: Long power cuts in the urban as well as rural areas of Kohat have stressed people out in the unusually hot weather in October.

The Pesco is resorting to eight hours of loadshedding in the urban areas where payment of bills is relatively healthy, but in rural areas and the adjoining frontier region loadshedding is up to 16 to 18 hours.

The power company’s officials said they had orders to rationalise the loadshedding in areas having good recovery and transfer the burden on feeders which were showing losses.

They said in rural areas there was up to 75 per cent losses and despite the fact that they had asked the consumers to pay their bills in easy installments they were not ready.

Jasim, a consumer, complained that Pesco had not sent them any bill. The Pesco staff on the other hand complained they were manhandled when they went to majority of rural areas for recovery of dues and checking power theft.

They said a few days ago two Pesco officials were taken hostage and maltreated by the local councillors when they were checking a pole in Gumbat area.

They regretted the accused were roaming freely despite being named in an FIR registered with the police concerned.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2017