The government has completely failed to address the real issue pertaining to the extensive and persistent electricity loadshedding in the country. The government has always been portraying the shortfall in electricity generation as a result of lack of generation capacity whereas the installed generation capacity even in March 2008 was more than 18500 MW. The real issue has always been the inability of the government to tackle the problems of circular debt coupled with gas shortage which has resulted in non-utilisation of the available capacity. According to the government’s own claims, more than 3000 MW has been added to the generation capacity in the last four years (although no details of these projects have been disclosed) but the situation remains the same as currently there is a massive shortfall between supply and demand amounting to 8500 MW.
Although the president is reported to have taken “notice” of the unprecedented loadshedding, there are as yet no signs of abatement in the 16-18 hours of mostly unscheduled loadshedding even in urban areas. The government and in particular the new minister for water and power should take the nation into confidence regarding the measures that the government is taking, or planning to take, to solve this problem which has not only made the lives of ordinary citizens miserable but has also seriously affected the industry, rendering hundreds of people jobless.
Hafeez Ullah Awan,
Islamabad, June 20.