PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday issued a stern warning to the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government, cautioning that the situation could escalate if loadshedding is not reduced to a maximum of 12 hours.
The ongoing dispute between Peshawar and Islamabad over loadshedding in KP has flared up once again, with the provincial government demanding that power cuts not exceed 12 hours in any area. Rising temperatures across Pakistan due to climate change have led to prolonged and frequent power cuts, sparking numerous protests.
As electricity supply is a federal responsibility, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers have taken matters into their own hands, forcibly restoring power to various areas by storming grid stations. Gandapur, following the footsteps of his party’s lawmakers, intervened on the third day of Eid ul Adha, personally restoring power in certain areas.
During a meeting on loadshedding chaired by the chief minister, he was briefed on the current situation regarding power cuts, recovery efforts of power distribution companies, and other energy-related issues. It was revealed that with the support of the KP government, Rs1 billion was recovered in one month, and security was provided to the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) staff and facilities. However, despite promises of no power cuts during Eid ul Adha, the distribution company failed to deliver, resulting in 12 to 18 hours of loadshedding in most areas.
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Since May 1, 81 protests against unannounced loadshedding have taken place, with women participating in the demonstrations. Gandapur expressed the provincial government’s commitment to resolving electricity issues and criticized the federal government for not honoring its promises. “It is a pity that the federal government is not fulfilling its promises, unannounced loadshedding of electricity was also done on the occasion of Eid,” he lamented.
Despite the PTI’s stance appearing ‘pro-people,’ it also risks creating impediments in the fight against electricity theft. Pesco, which powers most parts of KP, regularly reports high theft and loss of electricity, with ‘line losses’ climbing to as high as 60% on average on its network. This means that Pesco customers, on average, pay only Rs4 for every Rs10 of electricity they consume. The rest is picked up by other bill-paying customers across the country, as it is factored into the uniform national tariff.
To penalize delinquency in bill payment, many electricity distribution companies impose loadshedding in low-recovery areas, causing even bill-paying customers to suffer hours of no electricity. The same is true for those in KP who are dutifully paying their bills but still suffering because Pesco is unable to recover the money owed.
However, Gandapur has suggested on multiple occasions that the dues owed to KP by the center should be used to offset the province’s electricity liabilities. While justified in seeking his province’s fair share, it appears unlikely to materialize given the center’s severe resource constraints.
Meanwhile, journalist Ismail Khan has voiced out the public’s concern regarding power outages
Thirty-feeders knocked out, over 70,000 consumers without electricity and roughly half a million people forced to spend night without fans and water. Many others have left to spend the night with relatives. Where is Fazli Elahi MPA??
— Ismail Khan (@IKPeshawar) June 21, 2024
