Lights out

The authorities concerned have painted a rather dismal picture of the continued power breakdowns in different parts of the country and listed age-old transmission and distribution as one of the major reasons for these power outages. According to some media reports, Secretary Power Division in a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Power in Islamabad said that the country had produced 20,800 megawatt of power this year and the existing system is unable to pick it. This is the reason why despite the claims of the former federal government that there is surplus power, the country is presently facing the shortage of 4,599 megawatt, making it impossible to make the country a loadshedding-free Pakistan.

Although the previous government focused on power generation, it somehow neglected the upgradation of transmission and distribution system. The authorities concerned should take remedial measures on an immediate basis to set the house in order.

M Z Rifat

Lahore