Inflexible load shedding has returned with a vengeance, as majority of politically less important cities coupled with 90 percent of rural areas almost plunged into darkness while the politically more important cities are experiencing 10 to 15 hours load shedding daily.
Interestingly, the profiteers have sharpened their teeth to get a maximum bite of poor masses and the prices of every item related to load shedding has jacked up immensely throughout Pakistan. The prices of candles, batteries, flashlights and backup power systems have shot up again. Furthermore, the profiteers are also taking advantage of the people's misery to pass defective and substandard items at ridiculously high prices.
Majority of parts of Lahore city registered a total blackout on Tuesday evening and telephones of newspaper offices kept on ringing with consumers cries informing that their areas are out of electricity for a minimum span of four to five hours.
The daily 18 to 20 hours long load shedding in urban areas other than Lahore affected badly the functioning of more than 6,000 small and big sized industrial units in export-oriented Sialkot. Similarly, majority of small units in Faisalabad area including house of power looms and open end spindles found no option but to close down virtually, leading to rendering the hundreds of the daily waged labourers and industrial workers jobless.
The students at educational institutions also faced problem in continuing with their studies as classes in most of the schools, colleges and universities were suspended due to darkness. Interestingly, the visibility is at a dismal low due to ongoing heavy foggy weather in Punjab.
The Pakistan Electric Power Company had announced last week that up to 10 hours load shedding would continue until the end of January while accusing the Irsa for closing canals for de-silting purposes. The situation is likely to improve by the start of the fourth week of January 2009, when present canal closure is expected to end, said a press statement from Pepco.
It said hydro generation with an installed capacity of 6,500 MW has plummeted sharply due to canal closure and massive reduction of water releases by Irsa from Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs.
The consumers, particularly the industrialists, have criticised the Wapda for its failure in coming up with timely power generation projects. The Wapda, on the other hand, is blaming the former regime of president Pervez Musharraf for the fiasco faced by the present regime.