Scheduled loadshedding resumed after a break of two days of Ashura across the country, said the National Transmission and Despatch Company sources. The sources said that loadshedding of electricity for six hours a day in urban and eight hours a day in rural areas has again started from Thursday onwards.
They pointed out that loadshedding duration was rising over the last few months resulting into forced closures in and around the provincial metropolis. In some regions, the power shortfall even crossed 5,000 megawatt, putting the consumers into troublesome situation. They said the government has failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to many cities within the central and South Punjab during Ashura.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary for Water and Power Azhar Qayyum Nahra has vowed again to overcome the energy crisis before next general elections besides eliminating terrorism, extremism, poverty, inflation and unemployment. He said the government was spending billions of rupees on the energy sector projects. It may be noted that the Lahore Electric Supply Company is also facing criticism from consumers for overbilling for the months of August and September. Majority of the consumers are up in arms against the overbilling but no concrete step has so far been taken by the Company to redress the public grievances.