VEHARI/BAHAWALPUR, March 29: Loadshedding for at least eight to 10 hours daily in many parts of the province has become a nuisance for the people who already have had the first taste of inclement summer. The business community is bearing the brunt of the situation.

Though the Wapda authorities had announced the other day that they would resort to two-hour loadshedding daily, the distressed consumers can explain better what the agency means by two hours.

Vehari district and its contiguous areas are the worst affected ones as 10-hour loadshedding in almost all areas has become a routine affair. Mailsi and Burewala tehsils, too, are in the grip of power outages. In some rural areas, the duration of loadshedding has gone past 15 hours which means a tough going for the dwellers.

Some people from Machiwal area told Dawn that power shutdown meant disruption of all activities. It had also created shortage of water for drinking and crops. They said the visitors to the rural health centres and basic health units faced a great deal of inconvenience as did the doctors who could not examine their patients.

Facing shortage of water for crops, the farmers are also in a pensive mood. Haji Tufail Warraich, a local ginner, said the power cut-offs in the days to come would land the ginning industry in jeopardy.

Equally perturbed are traders who have voiced concern against the ‘apathy’ of the Mepco authorities, warning that if the situation will persist they will take to the street to register their protest.

People in Luddan, as in many other areas, are worried about possible outbreak of malaria.

MPA Dr Nazir and district council member Chaudhry Zahid Anwar Wahla of the PML-N said power outages showed the government’s failure to provide facilities to the people.

An official in the Regional Control Centre, Islamabad, told this correspondent that the federal government had allowed Wapda to resort to loadshedding to make up for the power shortfall in the country. The situation would continue till further directions by the fedral government, he added.

Mepco’s Vehari circle officials were not available for comments.

The situation is not much different in Bahawalpur where power hide-and-seek is going on much to the chagrin of the public.

Domestic as well as outdoor activities in almost all parts of the district have been affected and on Thursday — the second day of the loadshedding — electricity remained suspended for many hours with intervals.

As the dusk approached, many areas plunged into darkness and markets turned deserted. The traders criticised the government and expressed apprehension that they would face financial loss if the situation persisted.

Students and office-going people also had their work disturbed and they had to return home quite early.

Mepco Executive Engineer (Operation) Muhammad Yousaf Mangi told Dawn that loadshedding was being carried out on the directions of authorities in the federal capital. He said the Mepco management was, however, alive to the hardships of the consumers and would help them in the best possible way.

Starting a few days ago, loadshedding has also affected routine activities in Multan where Kalima Chowk and some other localities have endured the major burden in the last two days. Areas in Gujrat, Okara, Kasur and Sahiwal were no exception.