Bahria Town residents in Rawalpindi in grip of power cuts, water shortage

RAWALPINDI: Residents of Bahria Town Phase 7 and 8 have been protesting against electricity loadshedding and water shortage for the last few days.

More than 200 people gathered near the Statue of Liberty monument in the housing society and staged a peaceful demonstration. The protesters carried placards inscribed with slogans, demanding end to power loadshedding.

“On June 8, the Bahria Town administrationannounced a three-hour long loadshedding. In its Urdu language circular, the Bahria Town administration said six hours of loadshedding was being carried out across the country for the last two months but we will conduct three hours loadshedding,” said Mohammad Tanveer, a resident of Bahria Town.

He said the circular said residents would have to face three hours loadshedding which might also create issues of water shortage.

Ishaq Ahmed, a protester, said: “In the past, Bahria Town used to be one of the best places to live in but things have started to change. The management should make efforts to resolve the problems of the residents.”

Sajid Mehmood said people gathered in the society’s Phase 8 to record their protest against the administration. “We came from abroad and settled in Bahria Town but the facilities promised by the society have been missing these days,” he said.

Many residents turned to social media, particularly twitter, to highlight their plight and call on the Bahria Town management to resolve their problems at the earliest. They also urged the society’s owner, Malik Riaz Hussain, to intervene and preserve the prestige of the society.

Despite repeated calls, the Bahria Town spokesperson was not available for comments.