No end to power outages in Rawalpindi in sight

RAWALPINDI: Despite the claim of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) that it is not carrying out loadshedding, the residents of the garrison city are continuously suffering from frequent power outages.

Iesco chief Dr Amjad Khan told Dawn that the company had suspended power supply in some areas due to repair and maintenance work. “Other than that no loadshedding was taking place in any part of the region,” he said.

The power cuts, however, have affected people’s daily routine in the garrison city.

The residents of many areas of Rawalpindi, especially in the downtown, face power cuts for hours.

Rawalpindi Traders Association leader Sharjeel Mir told Dawn that the traders of the city areas faced problems due to frequent power cuts.

Iesco chief blames maintenance work for frequent disruptions

“Iesco stops the power supply many times in a month in the name of repair and maintenance from 8am to 2pm,” he said.

He said the power outages affected their work, adding that despite regular increase in electricity tariff, the government had failed to provide uninterrupted power supply.

He said the residential areas of Dhoke Ratta, Mohanpura and Ganjmandi were hit hard by frequent power cuts.

Cantonment Traders Association General Secretary Zafar Qadri said Iesco should conduct repair and maintenance works on Fridays when the bazaars were closed.

“Especially areas along Peshawar Road in Saddar and Westridge are affected badly. There is a need to end the frequent power cuts,” he added.

He said despite frequent repair and maintenance, rain or even a light wind disrupted electricity supply in the area, stressing the need for a clear system for uninterrupted power supply.

The association’s secretary said the government was planning to further increase tariff on the pressure of IMF and feared that energy crisis would further increase in the coming days.

“Frequent power cuts also affect the water supply,” said Mehmood Hassan, a resident of Dhoke Ratta.

He said: “On Saturday, the electricity remained suspended from 8am to 2pm, and this happens on every weekend.”

When contacted, Iesco Chief Executive Officer Dr Amjad Khan denied there was any loadshedding.

“We are not allowed to conduct electricity loadshedding in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and areas that fell under the company’s jurisdiction,” he said.

He said there was a difference between loadshedding and repair and maintenance.

“In summer, the use of electricity increased manifold and we have to replace the devices frequently and thus, we stop the supply for repair and maintenance work,” he said.

He said mostly areas of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad did not face power outages. He said technical faults were removed immediately to provide the supply to people without any break, adding that there was no plan to start power loadshedding.