MULTAN, July 10: People in south Punjab are facing six to 18 hours loadshedding a day despite directions by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to the Water and Power Ministry to ensure that the burden of loadshedding is distributed equally among all areas of the country, Dawn has learnt.

The rural areas of the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) region face 12 to 18 hours loadshedding a day while in urban areas the duration is six to 12 hours a day.

Rahmatullah, of Muhammadpur Diwan in Rajanpur, told Dawn by telephone they were living without electricity for 18 hours a day, Rajanpur 15 hours, Kotmithan 16, Dajal 18 and Jampur 10 to 12 hours. He said long spell of loadshedding had made their life difficult making their nights sleepless.

Pakistan People’s Party MPA Nazim Husain Shah said due to discrimination in loadshedding, the popularity of the party had gradually decreased in the Seraiki belt.

He said even though the government had inherited the power crisis, but four months were enough to counter the crisis.

He said the duration of loadshedding in his constituency ranged from 12 to 14 hours.

Mr Shah said the government gave priority to the industrial sector regarding the provision of electricity, but the industry could only survive with raw martial that could be generated only by boosting the agriculture sector.

Syed Mujtaba Gilani, prime minister camp office in-charge, disagreed with Mr Shah that the popularity of the party had decreased in south Punjab. He said an equal distribution of electricity would be ensured in the future.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q MNA Jahangir Khan Tareen said over 10-hour loadshedding in rural areas a day had ruined the quality of life of farmers.

He said it was responsibility of the government to end disparity between urban and rural areas regarding loadshedding.

Kisan Board President Fayyazul Hasan Bhutta said the prime minister was not concentrating on the problems of his area.

He said Mepco provided electricity for tubewells at night and farmers were facing difficulty to irrigate their crops because of poisoned insects.

Mepco Chief Executive Muhammad Amin Sahi said Mepco was just an electricity distributing agency and he had tried to reduce loadshedding in the Mepco region.

He said the duration of loadshedding in rural area was eight hours and in urban areas six hours.