SHANGLA: Residents of Maira Bisham area blocked the Karakoram Highway at Peplai bazaar on Wednesday, protesting against prolonged power outages.

The protesters gathered on the Karakoram Highway, blocking all traffic and chanting slogans against excessive power outages. They claimed that the duration of loadshedding had reached 19-20 hours in recent days, while the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) was sending them inflated bills.

Local leaders from various political parties, including Tehsil Chairman Sadeed Ur Rehman, Village Chairman Maira Mohammad Ijaz Khan, Maulana Mohammad Ilyas Khan and Faisal Khan led the rally.

Tehsil Bisham Chairman Sadeed Ur Rehman stated that despite producing 72 megawatts of electricity and sacrificing cultivated lands, watermills, and mini power stations, the residents continued to face prolonged loadshedding and were burdened with high bills.

He said they could no longer tolerate the injustice from Pesco and Wapda, and would only pay the bills if the power supply was restored and the excessive power outages ended. Otherwise, they threatened to halt power supply from the Khan Khwar power project to the national grid.

Village Chairman Ijaz Khan said the mid-term examinations for their children were underway, but the Pesco started suspending electricity from 3PM to 8PM and again from 11PM to 9AM , causing difficulties for students preparing for their exams.

Later, Assistant Commissioner Adnan Khan and Pesco officials held negotiations with the protesters and assured them that loadshedding duration would be decreased.

However, the protesters set a deadline of three days for reduction in power outages and warned to start agitation again if their demands were not met.

Passengers travelling to and from Rawalpindi/Islamabad faced difficulties as they were stuck for two hours due to the protest.

SHOPS SEALED: Alpuri Assistant Commissioner Naveed Khan sealed several shops for exploiting consumers and failing to maintain cleanliness.

He conducted raids in bazaars and fined shop owners for violations. He warned them to comply with the regulations or face legal action for hoarding , overcharging customers and selling expired food.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024