Abdullah Lehri:
KALAT: Protesters blocked the main Quetta-Karachi highway on Friday as a protest against unannounced load shedding in the area. In scorching heat, the passengers suffered on both sides of the highway because of the blockade.
“These power outages are paramount to the economic murder of growers”, Agha Laal Jan Ahmedzai, one of the central leaders of the growers’ action committee said. He said the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) had failed to provide power supply to growers and other domestic consumers.
“Our standing crops have been destroyed due to unannounced and prolonged load shedding”, Mr. Ahmedzai lamented. The protesters were also chanting slogans against the QESCO and provincial government for their failure to provide power supply to the area.
Also Read: Growers postpone protest after assurance by CS Balochistan
Growers threaten blockade on highways on July 4
Mr. Ahmedzai thus warned that growers would block all highways across Balochistan on July 4, if QESCO failed to provide an uninterrupted power supply to the growers. However, he urged the masses to avoid traveling during the protest of growers in the province.
QESCO Chief Engineer Karim Jamali however complained that the growers were not paying their bills. He said QESCO’s outstanding in Balochistan had crossed Rs.4 trillion and most of the outstanding were against agriculture consumers.
Also Read: QESCO facing 1000 MW shortfall in Balochistan: Engineer Karim Jamali
QESCO facing a shortfall of 1000 megawatts
The Growers Action Committee (GAC) has repeatedly clarified that the QESCO should first provide power supply and then speak about the payment of bills. Mr. Jamali in an exclusive interview with Daily Quetta Voice said that QESCO was facing a shortfall of 1000 megawatts currently.
Growers in Balochistan’s Mastung, Killa Abdullah, Pishin and other parts of the province have been protesting against power outages since the start of the summer season. “Whenever our crops season comes, QESCO stops power supply”, Abdul Qahar Agha, another central leader of the GAC claimed.
QESCO officials said that it was forced to observe forced load shedding because of the shortfall.
