SWABI: A major fault in the transmission system caused a prolonged power suspension in Topi tehsil and other areas of the Swabi district on Monday night and Tuesday, troubling consumers in the sizzling weather.

It is to mention here that various areas of Swabi had also experienced a prolonged outage on Monday. The consumers complained that the electricity supply was suspended only five minutes after restoration at 8pm on Monday.

The consumers complained about sustaining hot and humid weather the whole night on Monday and throughout Tuesday.

The people of Topi city and its surrounding regions, Kalabat, Maini, Zaroobi, Pontya, Batakara and people of various other regions passed a sleepless night.

“The children could not sleep throughout the night. My mother used the hand fan to soothe the minors, but not long enough,” Azmat Khan of Topi city said.

The long suspension also caused water shortage as most water supply schemes run on power.

“We are having no water for drinking, and had to arrange a bucket from a far away area,” Abbas Ali Khan of Mero area of Topi said.

The mosques were also without water. The consumers accused the Pesco of incompetency in remove the fault.

When contacted, Pesco officials told Dawn that after hectic efforts of the field staff they had resumed the power supply on Monday evening, but a more serious fault caused further disruption in the power supply. They said the staffers were doing their best to remove the fault despite a very hot day.

Meanwhile, the people of Topi city staged a protest demonstration against the power supply suspension for last two days.

The people gathered at the Topi bus stand and marched through different markets, chanting slogans against Pesco.

Later, the protesters dispersed after assurance by Pesco and the district administration officials that the power supply would be restored soon.

The power supply was restored at 8pm on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020