While expressing his resentment over hours-long power cuts in the midst of sweltering heat across the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chided his ministers and power authorities for showing slackness in taking measures to reduce loadshedding while asking them to chalk out both short- and long-term plans to end this bane, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Prime Minister Shehbaz was presiding over an emergency meeting on the energy crisis on Saturday at his Model Town residence in Lahore which was also attended by energy ministers and other high-ups.
The meeting deliberated on the loadshedding situation in the country. It reviewed reasons and causes of power cuts and their elimination.
The premier told the meeting participants that he could not bear loadshedding and it should not be longer than two hours. He rejected all excuses in this regard. He asked them to take measures to remove the difficulties of people. “It’s our duty to take measures to rid the country of power crisis,” he said adding that they should devise short- and long-term plans to provide electricity at cheaper rates and in abundance.
He said people were upset with recurring power cuts of long duration which were affecting their daily life.
The country which is currently in the grip of a severe heatwave is also facing the worst kind of loadshedding.
The electricity shortfall has reached 6,865MW triggering power cuts as long as 14 hours a day in many areas of the country.
In Islamabad, the loadshedding duration was recorded 8 hours while in Lahore the power cuts were 6-7 hours long.
The power distribution companies informed that the duration of power cuts was longer in high losses areas.
Meanwhile, on his Twitter handle today, Prime Minister Shehbaz lashed out at the previous government for failing the people of Gwadar miserably by not completing any project for resolution of water and electricity issues for the locals.
The PM wrote: “During my visit to Gwadar, I witnessed how PTI govt miserably failed the people of Gwadar. Despite wasting billions of rupees & precious time, it could not complete any project for resolution of water & electricity issues for the locals who gave great sacrifices for Gwadar port.”
Reporter Umar Aslam