Protesters ransack Pesco office, block GT Road for hours

NOWSHERA: Thousands of power consumers on Monday ransacked the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco) offices in Taru Jabba and blocked the Grand Trunk Road for five hours to protest the excessive loadshedding.
The dwellers of various villages including Akbarpura, Balo, Khushmuqam, Karvi, Titarah Zukhi and surrounding areas took to the road to protest the unbearable power cuts in the sweltering heat.
Announcements were made from loudspeakers in mosques asking the people to come out of their houses and join the protest.The charged protesters attacked the Pesco offices in Taro Jabba and ransacked the furniture and destroyed the record. The protesters smashed the windowpanes, doors, computers and other valuables there as they vented their anger against the power distribution company.
Later they gathered at the main GT Road and blocked it for traffic for five hours.Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) district councillor-elect Mian Inamullah and tehsil councillor-elect Haider Ali Shah Bacha led the protestors.
The baton-wielding youngsters also broke the windscreens of several vehicles using the road to stop them from breaking the road blockade.The closure of the busy G T Road led to long queues of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road. The commuters and motorists faced immense hardships as they waited for hours to reach their destinations.
Several women, children and elderly commuters fainted due to the scorching heat after being stuck in their vehicles for several hours.The police was apparently helpless to stop the protesters from resorting to violence and in ending the roadblock.
The protesters chanted slogans against the Pesco and the federal government for subjecting them to unscheduled power outages.They said that the unannounced and excessive power cuts had made life miserable for the people in the sizzling heat.
The protesters said that power fluctuation had also damaged the electric gadgets and caused financial losses to the consumers.The local administration made several efforts to persuade the protesters to end the protest and re-open the road, but in vain.
Later, District Police Officer Pabbi Circle Adnan Azam, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Hameed Khan and Sub-divisional Officer Wapda, Shahid Khan Afridi held talks with the protesters. The protesters dispersed after they were assured of relief.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali condemned the attack on the Pesco offices at Taru Jabba. In a statement, Abid Sher Ali said there were 650 feeders in Pesco, out of which 193 feeders had been fully exempted from loadshedding where losses were below 30 percent. He said that Pesco load management was scheduled on directives of the chief minister. “About 80 percent losses take place in Taru Jabba and despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s pledge to help in recovery, no action against power theft has been taken,” he added.