PESHAWAR: After constant load shedding sparked protests in the midst of oppressive heat, furious residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital city on Saturday restored electricity by storming into the Hazar Khawani grid station.
After demonstrating outside the grid station’s gate and with a large police presence to handle any possible law and order issue, the elders and people of the area went inside.
Legislator Fazal Elahi of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led the demonstration, stating that the local elders will bring back power to the grid station.
Elahi stated in an interview with Geo News that the demonstrators would visit every feeder and bring back the power. “If our electricity is cut off, everyone’s electricity will be cut off.”
According to representatives of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), MPA Elahi and demonstrators surrounded and entered the Rehman Baba grid station.
They added that the protesters forcibly switched on nine high-loss feeders including Hazar Khawani, Yaka Tut, Akhunabad and Newchamkani.
“Losses due to power theft and non-payment of dues on these feeders are more than 80%,” the officials said, adding that an operation is going on to reduce the losses on these feeders.
