LAKKI MARWAT - The residents of Lakki city and adjacent rural localities have expressed their resentment over prolonged power outages and demanded of higher authorities to stop unbearable power loadshedding forthwith.
Talking to this correspondent, they said the urban and rural localities were hard-hit by outages since last several weeks making life miserable for them. “The long durations of power breakdowns with intervals are intolerable for us”, they maintained.
A retired college teacher Haji Zarwali Khan Abakhel said that electricity loadshedding was being carried out at local level without any justification. He alleged that local Pesco officials were involved in the illegal practice of implementing their self-made schedule of loadshedding. He disclosed that elders of Dallokhel and Abakhel villages and adjacent hamlets had held a meeting in the recent days to chalk out a strategy if local Pesco authorities did not stop unfair outages immediately.
Minhajud Din said that people especially women could not carry out their routine works due to missing of electricity facility. He told that residents of urban and rural areas were facing the brunt of load shedding at the hands of local authorities concerned of power supply company. “Lakki city is among the hard-hit localities where people are confronted with numerous problems owing to consistent electricity suspension”, residents said. They said that loadshedding had added to their miseries besides bringing business activities to a standstill in urban locality. They also condemned local politicians and elected representatives for failure on their part to rid them of illegal power loadshedding. They regretted that MPs from the district did not raise voice against illegal power breakdowns on the floors of national and provincial assemblies.
“Instead of launching action against power thieves and defaulters the local Pesco officials are covering losses by carrying out 18 to 20 hours long loadshedding”, they maintained. They warned that they would have no option other than to launch agitation if authorities concerned did not pay heed to their genuine demand of stopping electricity outages without any delay.
Meanwhile, the office-bearers of district sports associations have demanded of the local administration to pay heed to the problems of players and provide them with all sorts of facilities to promote games and sports activities in the district.
They met District Coordination Officer Nisar Ahmad at his office in district secretariat Tajazai the other day and apprised him about the problems of players. District Sports Officer Shafqatullah Khan was also present in the meeting.
Those who met DCO included Masood Khan of District Cricket Association, Nasrullah Khan of District football Association, Shah Jee of District Volleyball Association, Gul Ajab of District Kabbadi Association, Habvibullah of District Basketball Association and Anwar Khan of District Badminton Association.
Speaking on the occasion, the DCO assured that besides sponsoring sports tournaments the district administration would make all out efforts to provide youths especially players with opportunities of taking part in sports events and other healthy activities. He also assured that the problems of players would be resolved on priority basis.