Over 12 hours' power outages

CHITRAL, April 26: The areas like Singor, Shahmirandeh and Balach are facing over 12 hours power outages despite the fact there is a hydropower house at Singor.   Line staffs of Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) have removed links of different transformers to disconnect power supply to consumers of these areas in order to ensure supply to Shahi Bazaar and influential people of Chitral. Although power from the national grid station is also supplied to Shahi Bazaar, PESCO staff have deprived consumers the residents of Singor and adjacent areas by disconnecting their supply lines to oblige traders. Some  600 KV electricity is spared from the SHYDO  hydropower station of Sheshikoh which generates 1.8 megawatts but PESCO does not provide this to the consumers of Chitral because of the protest and agitation by the residents of Drosh against PESCO. An official of PESCO Chitral told this scribe that they cannot use this spared electricity of Drosh powerhouse because the residents of that town have been protesting against the company. During the construction of the micro hydropower station at Singor, the locals were affected as their irrigation water channel was destroyed but after its construction the royalty holders have been deprived of electricity by PESCO. There are so many boy and girl schools and colleges both government and private besides government offices, airport, Civil Aviation Colony and offices of NGOs but they all are badly suffering from continued loadshedding.—GH Farooqui]]>