MULTAN - The claims of Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) to end loadshedding have turned out to be mere claims as the power crisis in 13 districts of South Punjab has further worsened. The long and unscheduled power outages have literally paralysed life in many towns of South Punjab. The residents of different areas especially rural settlements have complained that they are facing 16 to 18 hour daily loadshedding. “Prolonged power outages have ruined our business and life. We’re seriously upset and we don’t know how to cope with this issue,” said one Malik Muzaffar, a resident of Gelywala, a suburb of Multan. Similarly, the residents of Sharifpurra area of Multan, a vicinity that houses yarn weaving cottage industry, lamented that their machines were shut down and they were faced with serious financial crisis because of loadshedding. They told this scribe that they could not fulfil the orders received from customers because of non-availability of electricity. They pointed out that thousands of labourers were rendered jobless because of shutting down of the power looms and their families were faced with starvation.
Although a recent report release by Pepco claims that 10 thousand megawatt electricity is added to national grid recently as a result of which loadshedding crisis has decreased. However, the factual situation is altogether different from Pepco claims.