SWAT: The residents of Mingora and its suburbs have complained about the unannounced and prolonged power outages as well as over-billing and said they had been facing numerous problems due to power cuts.

The people of Rahimabad, Amankot, Faizabad, Saidu Sharif, Shagai, Gul Kada, Sharifabad, Panr, Gumbat Maira, Rang Mohallah, Watkey, Rajaabad and several other areas told this correspondent that they experienced over 12-hour electricity loadshedding, creating multiple problems for them. They said the outages started after the weather became hot in lower Swat.

“The weather in Mingora is very hot, but since the weather turned hot the prolonged power cuts also started with it, creating problems for the people,” said Burhan Khan, a resident of Mingora. The residents said that the Pesco had no tradition to provide schedule of power loadshedding despite resorting to prolonged outages.

“We cannot have a proper sleep in the night because loadshedding is observed after every one hour. The frequent outages have left my children ill and weak,” said Ikramullah, a resident of Gul Kada, adding that some people had generators as alternative, but he was poor and could not afford to buy one.

The power outages have also led to water shortage in the areas, multiplying miseries for the people.

“We have to fetch water and carry it from long distances in the scorching heat,” said Azhar Ali, a resident of Sharifabad. Similarly, the residents of Kabal and Matta tehsils also said that duration of the power loadshedding was over 14 hours in their areas, leaving every sector virtually paralysed.

“Matta tehsil is the hometown of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Kabal tehsil is the hometown of federal minister Murad Saeed where the duration of power loadshedding is over 14 hours,” said Rahmat Ali Khan, the provincial deputy general secretary of ANP, adding that people faced multiple problems in both the areas.

The residents demanded of the government to end the prolonged outages otherwise they would take to streets against it.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2020