SHANGLA: The local residents on Sunday blocked the main Chakesar-Puran Road here against excessive electricity loadshedding.

The protesters, including traders and civil society activists, gathered at the Chakesar Chowk, shouting slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

Addressing the protesters, their leaders said Pesco had increased the power outage duration to 16 hours in Chakesar tehsil, causing problems for the consumers.

Nazir Ahmad Advocate, president of Chakesar tehsil bar association, claimed Pesco was observing 16-18 hours of loadsheding. He said whenever a fault developed in a transformer or a transmission line Pesco staff didn’t bother to remove it.

He said the higher secondary school certificate examinations had already started and students were facing problems due to excessive outages.

Mr Ahmad said people of Chakesar paid their electricity bills regularly, but even then they were not provided smooth power supply.

Afzal Khan, another protester, said people often got the faults removed from supply lines on self-help basis. He alleged Pesco sent them inflated bills without conducting meter reading.

Mir Alam Advocate, another protester, said the local government representatives and the district administration had failed to take notice of the prolonged power outages.

The protesters gave the authorities concerned until next Friday to reduce the duration of loadshedding, or they would take to the streets again.

JOINS PPP: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s local leader Abdul Ghaffar Babakhel on Sunday announced quitting the party and joining Pakistan Peoples Party.

He made the decision during a public gathering held in Larai Pir Khana area of Kana tehsil here. PPP’s provincial vice-president Afsarulmulk Khan and others also addressed the event.

Mr Afsarulmulk insisted PPP would form the next government in the centre.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2023