HYDERABAD: Acting President Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI), Ahmed Idrees Chohan, has expressed serious concern over the sharp increase in load-shedding hours and poor planning by HESCO. He stated that the previously announced 10 hours load-shedding schedule has now been extended to 12 hours, while unannounced power outages have further exacerbated the difficulties faced by the public and the business community.
He highlighted that the most distressing situation occurs during the peak business hours between 5 pm to 10 pm, when power outages have severely disrupted business operations, causing substantial losses to shopkeepers and small-scale industries. Additionally, frequent tripping of feeders across various parts of the city has become a norm, affecting not only commercial activities but also causing significant inconvenience to the general public.
Acting president further stated that HESCO has inexplicably initiated maintenance work during these extremely hot and unbearable summer months, which reflects gross negligence and irresponsibility. He emphasised that such work could have been efficiently carried out during the winter season. Due to HESCO’s lack of year-round planning and incompetent management, the public is now suffering. Several hours of power outages are being observed due to ongoing maintenance work, which is a clear indicator of HESCO’s mismanagement.
He urged the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HESCO to take immediate notice of this alarming situation, reassess the current load-shedding schedule, and ensure uninterrupted power supply during crucial evening business hours. He also demanded the earliest possible completion of all maintenance work to provide much-needed relief to the public and the business sector.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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