LAHORE - Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday said protests against unannounced load shedding across the province were justified, as demonstrations against power outages continued in several cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In his remarks during proceedings of petitions against unannounced load shedding, Justice Bandial said in a city like Lahore, residents remained without electricity and water for 18 hours a day and had no other option but to protest. The LHC CJ added that the government was discriminating when it came to load shedding and officials sitting in air-conditioned offices had no clue about the plight of the people. The LHC also directed for a load shedding schedule and the steps taken to inform the public of the matter in the last six months. His remarks came as the electricity shortfall crossed 4,000 megawatts on Tuesday.
According to a spokesperson for the Energy Management Cell, the production of electricity was 14,186MW while the demand was 18,192 MW. Officials of the Lahore Electric Supply Company said transformers in certain areas tripped due to which production of electricity was affected.
Meanwhile, protests against prolonged unannounced load shedding continued in parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, with residents blocking roads and burning tyres to demand uninterrupted power supply. Women and children in hundreds held a rally outside the Mandi Bahauddin Press Club to protest against GEPCO for prolonged and unscheduled power load shedding.
The protesters wielded cooking pans and sticks as they chanted slogans against the authorities. They condemned WAPDA and rulers for their complete failure to provide electricity during Ramadan, especially at Sehr and Iftar timings, as promised earlier. Also, hundreds of tribesmen in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, protested against power breakdown for the second consecutive day, demanding the government immediately restore power supply to the region. Hundreds of enraged protesters also protested in Mirali against power breakdowns. Protests were also staged in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.