Residents face increased power loadshedding

Rawalpindi
The Iesco authorities, instead of reducing the timings of loadshedding, have enhanced it by one hour in Rawalpindi cantonment and city areas thus creating great tension and anxiety among people to a larger extent.
The increase in duration of loadshedding is enforced for the last couple of days which is done at night time and that too in an unscheduled manner.
The residents of Adiala Road, Lalazar, Sherzaman Colony, Dheri Hassanabad, Ghousiya Chowk, Dhoke Syedan, Kamalabad, Kalma Chowk, Dhamial, PWD Housing Scheme, Satellite Town, Asghar Mall Chowk, Westridge, Tench Bhata, People's Colony, Dhoke Khabba and Tipu Road expressed their concern and anguish over the increase in power loadshedding by Iesco without any prior notice.
According to Sajida of Dhoke Farman Ali, besides resorting to loadshedding, the Iesco has developed a practice of suspending power supply at daytime for long hours with the excuse of fault in transformers and feeders. Giving example, Sajida, who is a government employee, alleged that on Tuesday morning power supply was shut down at 7:30 a.m. which was restored after 10 hours at 5:30 p.m. Then again the Iesco suspended power supply at 7 p.m. and restored it after two hours.
The enhancement in the hours of power suspension is being done since Monday night (October 12).
Saniya Khalid of Sher Zaman Colony said that after restoring power supply at 11 p.m. which started at 10 p.m., the Iesco with a break of only one hour shut down electricity at midnight which continued for two hours.
Faisal Khan of Tench Bhata and Ali Sher of Westridge, while approaching this correspondent on phone, made similar complaints regarding increase in power outages by one hour by Iesco at night, particularly after 10 p.m.
The residents appealed to Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to take serious notice of the matter and direct the authorities not to stretch the people's nerves by increasing the duration of electricity loadshedding. They demanded reduction in the duration of power outages.
When this correspondent approached Sub-Divisional Officer (Tariqabad) Bilal Ahmed, he admitted the fact. However, he informed that Iesco has no concern with suspending power supply. He said that electricity is shut down through grid stations and their officials should be contacted for queries and complaints.
A senior official, SSO-2 of Grid Station, Mohammad Qasim, agreed that additional loadshedding is being done for last couple of days due to electricity shortfall. The increase made in power suspension is termed forced loadshedding, he said. However, the situation would improve in the coming days and people should not worry over the present situation, he said.