Protesters block road against power outages in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The people of many areas in the Mansehra district on Tuesday staged protest rallies against the prolonged and unscheduled electricity loadshedding.
A large number of people took to streets and blocked Milad Chowk at Oghi. They threatened to launch an agitation against the government if it failed to address ongoing energy crisis. The angry protesters also blocked main road for traffic for hours by setting tyres on fire. The protest caused inconvenience to the people and motorists.
Speaking on the occasion, Transport Association Mohammad president Mumtaz said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had failed to deliver. “If the prime minister cannot address basic issue of electricity, then he should quit the government as people are dying because of prolonged power outages in this sizzling heat in Ramazan,” he said.
He added that Mohammad Safdar, the son-in-law of prime minister, who was elected from here, had made tall claim to make Oghi and Torghar the modern cities, but he didn’t honour his promise.
The road was later re-opened to traffic after many hours when protesters, police and official of Peshawar Electric Supply Company held talks and the latter agreed to decrease the duration of loadshedding.
Meanwhile, the newly-elected representatives of local government from Datta have threatened to launch protest movement if government didn’t stop prolonged power outages in the district.Speaking at a press conference, councillors-elect Malik Naveed, Syed Asad Shah and councils of Datta village council said that despite the announcement made by federal government the Peshawar Electric Supply Company was carrying out hours-long loadshedding. “The electricity remained suspended for the entire day and neither domestic nor commercial consumers can perform daily work,” said Shah.
The people of Shinkiari, Baffa, Balakot and other parts of district also held protests against prolonged loadshedding in the district and demanded immediate end to loadshedding in their respective areas.