Consumers hit hard by natural gas, power crises

PESHAWAR: Consumers in the provincial capital have been facing natural gas and electricity suspension for the last several days.

Power supply remained suspended for more than five hours on Sunday in many localities of the Peshawar including Gulberg, Swati Gate, Nauthia, Kohati Gate, Wazir Bagh, Kakshaal, Beri Bagh, Karimabad, Rashid Garhi and other places in the city and cantonment.

Power remains suspended for hours on a daily basis despite the fact its consumption is low compared to summer. The practice of power loadshedding continued even in winter when electricity was being used only for lighting.

Salman Khan, a resident, said the power supply from Rahman Baba gridstation remained cut off for 10 hours three days a week. He said on Sunday the power supply was suspended for hours putting the consumers in trouble and this practice has been going on since November. He said the people had no option but to take to the streets.

The government should take notice of the excesses of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), he added. The consumers from the adjacent Khyber district blocked Matani-Bara road against loadshedding.

There were also reports of power and gas loadshedding from other parts of the province.

On the other hand, gas consumers are also facing problems.

In most of the localities in cantonment board and surrounding areas, Kohat Road, Wazir Bagh, interior city gas remains cut off or its pressure is too low for cooking.

Though the government had suspended gas supply to the CNG stations, it did not help to improve the situation.

In many localities, gas is not available for the whole day in homes and offices like Khyber Super Market while in Gulberg gas pressure remains too low to cook.

Consumers are compelled to buy the LGP cylinders for cooking food.