PESHAWAR: Power consumers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday as the Peshawar Electric Supply Company restricted the duration of loadshedding at 75 high-loss feeders to 12 hours daily, following a war of words between members of the provincial and federal governments.

Last week, provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur asked the Pesco to reduce power outages to 12 hours a day, warning in case of the power utility’s reluctance, the ruling party’s lawmakers would enforce the proposed loadshedding schedule.

Mr Gandapur and several other PTI lawmakers later barged into grid stations across the province and resumed power supply suspended by the power utility.

In a statement issued here, the Pesco said the “drastic reduction in loadshedding duration would remain in force for a period of 15 day and has been made on the directions of the federal government.”

It added that the loadshedding relief would be applicable to 13 feeders in Peshawar Circle, 18 in Khyber Circle, 27 in Dera Ismail Khan Circle, 13 in Bannu Circle, three in Mardan Circle, and one in Swabi Circle.

“All 27 feeders in the chief minister’s hometown Dera Ismail Khan have been given 12 hours reprieve from loadshedding.”

The Pesco said the relief would continue only if the losses were reduced.

It said that the move came on the orders of federal minister for energy Awais Leghari and federal power secretary Rashid Mahmood Langriyal in view of a heat wave in the province.

“The duration of loadshedding at 75 high-loss feeders has been reduced to 12 hours daily for the convenience of Pesco consumers. We have formed special teams to reduce losses on those feeders in the next 15 days through special operations,” it said.

The power utility said that the chief minister and its CEO, Akhtar Hamid Khan, in a meeting discussed a suitable strategy to eliminate loadshedding at high loss feeders in the province under which 75 high-loss feeders had been selected.

It said that losses at those feeders had reached 60-90 per cent due to the frequency of electricity theft and non-payment of dues, which increased loadshedding hours there.

“In order to provide relief to the people, the selected 75 feeders have been given relief in load shedding,” it said.

The Pesco said loadshedding at those feeders had been reduced to 12 hours daily for the next 15 days, while at the same time, special teams had been formed for the operation in which apart from the Pesco SDO, assistant commissioners, police officials, and MNAs and MPAs of the respective areas would also participate.

It said the teams were tasked with eradicating the illegal power connections, encouraging people to install power meters and collect ing due payments to reduce losses.

“Jirgas will also be held in different areas in addition to the operation to resolve the problems of power consumers,” it said.

Chief Minister Gandapur held an informal meeting with federal minister for power Awais Leghari and minister for interior Mohsin Naqvi on June 21 on the issue of excessive loadshedding in the province, according to official sources.

They insisted that both sides decided to keep the meeting and decisions taken in it under the wraps.

The sources said both sides also agreed not to make any public statement regarding power outages.

Meanwhile, residents of Ghari Atta area informed Dawn about a significant reduction in the loadshedding hours.

“We used to face 18-20 hours of power outage daily but their duration has almost halved from today (Wednesday),” a resident said.

He said the cut in loadshedding hours would provide a great relief to those who hadn’t installed solar panels or made any other alternate arrangements for power supply.

“Now, we will have water both at home and in mosques,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024