Protest Held Against 5 Hours Power Load Shedding In Chitral

By Gul Hamaad Farooqi

Chitral Lawyers, members of District Bar Association and representatives of all parties held protest against prolonged load shedding during the holy month of Ramadan.

CHITRAL: Chitral Lawyers, members of District Bar Association and representatives of all parties held protest against prolonged load shedding during the holy month of Ramadan. They held a rally started from PIA square and ended at Ataleeq Bridge which converted in a public meeting. The public cum protest meeting was held under the chair of Khurshid Hussain Mughal president district Bar Association.

The protesters were holding banners inscribed with slogans against WAPDA and PESCO for observing five hours load shedding despite generating 36 megawatt electricity from Golain power house.

According to concerned officials, Wapda was forced to observe load shedding due to technical faults and losses on account of obsolete transmission lines. In this connection when Project Director of Golain Power house Javed Afridi was contacted he revealed that their power house not shutdown for a second and generating 35 megawatt continuously. He said that he emphasized on Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) to put more load on the line because he have 8 megawatt extra power and due to no consumption this extra electricity wasting useless.

Pesco Sub divisional officer Fazal Munir said that they have nor permit and issued no direction for load shedding its break down by Grid Station staff .

Lawyers tried to contact Zaheeruddin In charge of Grid Station Jutilasht Chitral but he not attended phone call. Lawyers said that GSO officers have appointed a non technical person as head of Grid station who telling lie that he is directing by Peshawar Distribution Center (PDC) for continuing load shedding for 5 hours a day. When he was asked that if Wapda exercise this practice of load shedding in other parts of the country may be they face shortage of power but Chitral have sufficient electricity and 15 megawatt extra from consumption why people are being disturbing they have no response of this question.

Fazal Rahim Advocate contacted head of PDC on phone and asked that why they torturing people of Chitral by loadshedding despite that Chitral have sufficient electricity he denied that they have never directed Zaheeruddin SSO of Grid Station for load shedding but he terrifying the people  by himself.

The lawyers and representatives of all parties in their speeches said that it means that our country have sufficient electricity but Wapda or some hidden hands deliberately compelling the people to came on roads by continuing un-schedule load shedding.  They said that Prime Minister Shahid Haqqan Abbasi has announced that there would be no load shedding at Chitral on the inaugural occasion of 107 Megawatt Golain power house when its first phase of 35 megawatt completed this year.

The speakers said that when we have sufficient and extra electricity as comparative to our consumption then why Pesco staff exercising unnecessary load shedding in this holy month of Ramzan. They said that may be this is a conspiracy to plunge Wapda in loss by not utilizing their power generation and to defame Prime Minister and government of PML N.

The speakers given deadline of three days that if Pesco and GSO staff not stopped load shedding at Chitral they will came on roads once again and will lock Pesco and Grid Station office.  Those who spoke on the occasion where Sajidullah Advocate, Niaz A Niazi Adv,  SP retired Saeed Khan Lal of JUI, Sifat Zareen of PML-N, chairman Fazal Rehman Booni of ANP, Amir Jamat Islami Mulvi Jamshed, Alam Zeb Adv,  Raizuddin of PTI, Kosar Advocate of PMLN,  MI Khan Sarhadi Adv, Abdul Wali Khan Adv of PTI, Khurshid Hussain Mughal president of DBA. The protest meeting was disbursed peacefully later on.  A large number of people belonging to all walks of life attended protest meeting.