Long march planned against non-supply of power to upper Chitral
BOONI: After holding protest gatherings in Parwak and Torkhow, the people of upper Chitral plan a long march and hunger strike against non-provision of electricity to their areas from the newly opened Golen Gol powerhouse.
Even after all the three phases of the 108 megawatt powerhouse started generation, the provincial government’s power utility company, PEDO, has not bothered to provide electricity to the consumers in upper Chitral. At present, Chitral town and nearby areas are getting round-the-clock electricity from Golen Gol but the surplus electricity remains un-utilized only because of the non-serious attitude of PEDO which ahs been making different excuses, local residents told ChitralToday.
Tehreek Huqooq-e-Awam leader Muhammad Pervez Lal said the total requirement of upper Chitral was about nine megawatt but currently it was being supplied three megawatt. This three megawatt is mostly consumed by residents of Booni where about five to six hours’ loadshedding is carried out daily, he said.
Most parts of upper Chitral and villages down to Ragh in lower Chitral got electricity from the Reshun powerhouse that was washed away during the 2015 floods. The KP government did not repair it despite appeals by the locals.
PEDO is being given electricity by WAPDA from Golen Gol but it has not taken steps to utilize the power and end the hardship of the consumers of upper Chitral.
Now there is surplus electricity in Golen Gol but areas starting from Ragh to Shagram in Torkhow and Kargin in Mastuj, that were linked to the damaged Reshun powerhouse, are without power.
The previous PTI government deliberately did not repair the Reshun powerhouse and its power utility department, PEDO, remains noncommittal in resolving the issue of the residents. The locals said the new PTI government should take urgent measures to end the power crisis in upper Chitral by utilizing the available electricity in Golen Gol without any further delay.