THE government's failure to end the menace of load shedding is proving to be a recipe for social unrest. Its callous attitude towards the citizenry can be gauged from the fact that it has almost doubled the tariffs while causing 12 to 15 hour blackouts on a daily basis, a cruel joke with the public who during the electioneering campaign was assured that it would be provided with food, shelter and clothing. This was the predicament that provided the backdrop to the attack on the LESCO office by enraged protestors in Lahore on Monday. Why should they be footing the bill when there was simply no electricity was the question on every protestor's lips? The situation all around the country is more or less the same where incidents of the sort have been reported. People are little interested in what officials are saying in defence of the energy crisis. Consumers want to know the circumstances under which they are receiving inflated bills that are not justified in view of the reduced timings of power supply. The government ought to take stock of its policy and come up with a proper roadmap helpful in both the short and long term. Most importantly it should reconsider its decision about the recent raise in electricity bills.