SWABI: Citizens and workers of various political parties here on Monday staged a protest against unannounced electricity loadshedding in the district.
The protest was held outside the offices of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) in Swabi under the banner of the action committee.
Chanting slogans against the government, the protesters barged into the Pesco office after forcing open the main gate, where they staged a sit-in.
Some members of the action committee forced government employees out of their offices and locked the premises, resulting in the suspension of official work.
Addressing the protesters, Qaumi Watan Party Swabi chapter chairman Masood Jabbar said that though the Tarbela Dam was located in the jurisdiction of Swabi, its residents were facing prolonged power cuts.
He said the people of Swabi were forced to live in darkness due prolonged loadshedding.
Awami National Party Swabi chapter general secretary Nawabzada said that people had been facing unannounced loadshedding for a long time, while the closure of CNG stations had further compounded the difficulties for transporters and the general public.
The representatives of the action committee held negotiations with executive engineer Swabi-1 Imdadullah and superintending engineer Pesco Swabi.
During the meeting, the officials assured that a letter would be sent to the Pesco chief requesting him to order a reduction in loadshedding.
However, action committee spokesperson Salim Khan Advocate expressed reservations about the assurance, stating that similar letters had been sent in the past but to no avail.
He demanded that a copy of the letter should be shared via email and an official response should be made public.
Imdadullah told the media that a recent storm had damaged high transmission power pylons in Swabi, disrupting power supply to various areas of the district.
He added that efforts were being made to provide relief to consumers within the next two days, adding that electricity supply would be restored soon.
The negotiations remained inconclusive, after which the action committee announced to continue its protest until the acceptance of their demands.
