PESHAWAR: For the second time in less than a week an angry mob besieged the offices of Peshawar Electric Supply Company on Thursday and detained its staff for several hours, an official said.

He told Dawn that the protesters besieged the Pesco offices and later closed down supply from the Kohat Industrial grid for about six hours.

The official said that there were about 150 protesters who were demanding 20-hour uninterrupted power supply to the area on Dora Road feeder.

He said that cost of energy consumption on this feeder during past one year stood at Rs270 million, but they managed to receive about Rs50 million in lieu of utility bills. The official said that in case of 20-hour power supply the area’s power consumption would jump to Rs500 million a year, while the billing to a paltry Rs80 million, which was not sustainable.

The official also accused Peshawar district nazim Mohammad Asim Khan of supporting the power protesters. He said that Arbab Saadullah was leading the protesters who detained the Pesco staff.

The official criticised the police, saying that instead of dealing with the protesters they were forcing them to restore the power supply.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2018