Residents resent power outages in Shinkiari

MANSEHRA: People from various segments of society, including local government representatives and traders on Monday denounced the daylong power outages on the pretext of maintenance and tree trimming along the Karakoram Highway in Shinkiari and its suburbs.

“This jirga demands that the Hazara Electricity Supply Company (HAZESCO) end the daylong power outages on alternate days, or we will block the Karakoram Highway to all traffic indefinitely,” Shabbir Khan, Chairman of the Neighborhood Council Shinkiari, told the jirga held in Shinkiari.

The jirga, convened at the residence of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader Manzoor Mughal, formed a committee to address the issue with Hazesco and the district administration.Ahsan Allai, President of the Traders Association, stated that both businesses and domestic consumers had been severely impacted by the outages.

“Our business activities have adversely been affected due to the daylong power outages,” he said.Mumtaz Sulheria, a local, told the jirga that residents of Shinkiari and its surrounding areas had been facing five to six hours of power outages daily. “When Hazesco carries out maintenance, we are left without electricity for the entire day,” he added.

Siraj Khan, the former nazim of Shinkiari, mentioned that locals had approached senior officials of Hazesco seeking remedial measures, but no progress had been made.“The federal government should take notice of this situation, or we will block the Karakoram Highway indefinitely,” he warned.The jirga was also addressed by Arsalan Khan, Naveed Hussain, Shaukat Khan, Tufail Khan Swati, and Yusuf Khan.