ISLAMABAD - With a gradual increase in temperature, prolonged and unannounced loadshedding of up to 18hours a day has multiplied the miseries of the over burdened masses who are bearing the brunt of energy crisis for years.
Power shortfall on Monday was recorded 3,500mw as power generation stood at 9,200mw against the demand of 12,700mw. Up to 18hour-long power outages has adversely affected the routine life of the people, irking the people of urban and rural areas alike. Every segment of the society including students, working class, businessmen, manual labourers and traders are complaining about the power situation, which is making life difficult coupled with soaring temperature. Commercial activities and domestic chore has been paralysed due to the unavailability of power.
Women are facing numerous problems in carrying out domestic chores, students are getting late in reaching their institutions, businessmen and traders are facing undue hike in their expenditures to manage alternative sources of power.
A senior official at the Water and Power Ministry said that power situation would only get improved, if fuel supply to power plants increases.
"After payments to fuel supplier, it is believed that power situation would improve within two to three days," the official added.
To a question, he, however, said that it became a great challenge for the caretaker government either to control worsening load shedding across the country at the cost of budget deficit or to control the fiscal deficit, which was expected to exceed 8 percent in the current fiscal year due to the additional allocation of subsidy for the sector.