LESCO plays mix-and-match with load shedding schedule

[LRE]

LESCO plays mix-and-match with load shedding schedule

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has re-started unscheduled load shedding for more than six hours across the city, as a power shortfall has re-emerged with a rise in temperature.

Routine life has been disturbed by the load shedding, as there is no power at midnight and early morning, disrupting office-workers and students.

LESCO sources told Daily Times that the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) had asked the company to monitor and shut down any grid with an increased load, to avert a system wide collapse.

“The PEPCO has also asked the company to follow the pre-Ramazan schedule so that people would not suffer. However, the company has failed to follow the schedule because of the constantly increasing load, forcing the company to do unscheduled load shedding,” they added.

They also said that PEPCO had increased the load shedding timings from five hours to six hours in urban areas, while timings in rural areas had crossed eight hours.

“If the weather does not change in the coming days, it is expected that the load shedding will increase due to the power shortfall,” they said, adding that the other reason for the increase in load shedding was the reduction in power generation from the Tarbela Dam, with a decrease of almost 1,000 megawatts due to lower water levels.

“LESCO should announce a proper load shedding schedule so that people’s lives do not suffer,” said Majid Hussain, a resident of Cavalry Grounds, adding that the timings changed every day. He alleged that the PEPCO and LESCO were creating an artificial shortage. “The concerned quarters facilitated people during the month of Ramazan without load shedding, then how has it started once again,” he said.

A resident of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Amna Nawaz, said that she had to face severe mental torture because of load shedding in the early morning, when it was time for her children to go to school. She said that she was unable to prepare breakfast for her children without a toaster, sandwich maker and other electrical equipment, as they did not work on a UPS.

“Almost every day I have to go to the bakery and purchase snacks for my children so that they can eat in school, as I am unable to make anything for them due to the load shedding,” she said. She said that LESCO should announce a proper load shedding schedule so that people could maintain their lives accordingly.

Denial: PEPCO Energy Management and Conservation Director General Tahir Bisharat Cheema claimed that the PEPCO was carrying out load shedding according to the schedule, and denied any incidents of unscheduled load shedding.

“The power shortfall has increased to about 2,500 megawatts as the people have once again started using air-conditioners with the increase in temperature,” he added.

dailytimes.com.pk