KOHAT: The electricity and gas consumers raised complaints before the adviser to the federal Ombudsman here on Monday against excessive power and gas loadshedding and low gas pressure in Kohat.

They aired their grievances during an open kutchery called by deputy commissioner Dr Azamatullah Wazir on the directives of the federal ombudsman at his office here on Sunday.

Heads of departments, civil society activists and representatives of business community were also in attendance.

Jehanzeb Lateef, adviser to the federal ombudsman, heard the people’s complaints against the federal government departments, including Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Peshawar Electric Supply Company, National Database and Registration Authority and Benazir Income Support Programme.

He assured the people of early relief.

The consumers said gas outages in the biting cold had put residents of Kohat city and its outskirts into extreme mental agony. They said children had to go to schools without breakfast as their mothers could not prepare meals due to low gas pressure.

On the occasion, chairman of All Tajir Ittehad Ameer Afridi regretted that there were dozens of oil and gas wells found in Kohat, but despite that loadshedding was carried out over and above the other parts of the country.

He said SNGPL even failed to maintain pressure during the four hours it supplied gas to consumers.

He also complained about the unannounced electricity load-shedding for prolonged hours. He appealed to the federal ombudsman to provide the people of Kohat with relief.

TRANSFORMER COILS STOLEN: Thieves struck in Jarma area on Sunday night, taking away costly coils from a transformer after lowering it from two poles and cutting open its chamber.

The Pesco said the thieves struck at Eidgah Road near Inayatabad locality.

An elder, Mumtaz Bangash lamented that the transformer thieves had been on the rampage for years but the police had failed to arrest them.

Ehsan, a local body member, regretted that police had failed to arrest the transformer thieves.

The thieves had earlier deprived consumers of electricity supply for days in Gumbat tehsil and other parts.

Gumbat tehsil chairman Sajid Iqbal said thieves opened the transformers in secluded places during night to retrieve valuable parts.

A Pesco official said the thieves mostly struck during the loadshedding time. He said Pesco had got registered cases against the unknown thieves. He said the company had also checked scrap yards but found thieves were not selling the stolen coils in Kohat.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023