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| Highway blocked to protest loadshedding |
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Sunday, December 28, 2008
by Our correspondent
MANSEHRA: Angry people blocked the Karakoram Highway on Saturday as the frequent and prolonged power outages have affected routine life in Mansehra, Battagram and Balakot.
The hours-long suspension of power supply to Mansehra, Battagram and Balakot has resulted in lay-offs as various small and medium industries are on verge of collapse.
Khan Afsar, a tailor, here said about 15 employees of his two shops were rendered jobless and he had also suffered a huge loss owing to power outages. He said it was a pity that Pesco should have issued a loadshedding schedule so that people could use the electricity-run appliances when it was available.
Because of the loadshedding, most of the flourmills had also suspended the wheat crushing, causing shortage of flour in some parts of the district as flour supply to Hazara division from Punjab was already suspended.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people staged a protest rally against the loadshedding and blocked the Karakoram Highway for three hours near Battagram.
The protesters, holding banners and placards, marched through various roads and blocked KKH by placing burning tyres on it.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz District President Naeemullah and others warned the Pesco and government to end the prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding; otherwise they would turn violent. They said it was unjust that people were deprived of power almost all the day.
They gave the authorities 72 hours deadline to end prolonged power suspension or reduce loadshedding duration, otherwise would target Pesco installations in the area.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
