ATTOCK, May 28: The central President Tehreek Istiqlal Rehmat Khan Wardak has said that construction of mega water reservoirs is essential and needs priority on other subjects to resolve the energy crisis besides ensuring economic and agricultural development of the country.

Speaking to a press conference in Attock at a local hotel, Mr Wardak said the masses were sustaining over 18-hour-long power outages in urban areas while the situation was even worse in the rural areas.

“Whereas the people are suffering and protesting, the leaders are not taking any concrete step to rid them of the menace,” he regretted.

“As a result, a sense of deprivation and frustration prevails in the people and is intensifying with each passing day,” he said.

He alleged that billions were being spent annually on import of furnace oil for power generation and still the country faced the worst power crisis; whereas a big dam could easily be constructed with lesser amount to solve the problem permanently.

He warned that with costly thermal electricity, Pakistan will never be able to become a developed country.

“Therefore, the construction of big dams is a must to generate cheap electricity, agricultural uplift and industrial growth,” he stressed. He also asked the rulers to pay attention to resolving problems faced by the masses and take effective measurers with consensus to provide them relief against the prevailing worst hike in prices, unemployment and poverty.

Mr Wardak also alleged that present government was befooling the masses by diverting their attention from real issues and despite having a clear public mandate had still failed to provide any relief to them.