PESCO increases duration of loadshedding

Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) on Tuesday increased the duration of loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The company is carrying out six to seven hours loadshedding in urban areas and eight to nine hours loadshedding in rural areas on all 11 KV feeders. The company has appealed to the consumers to minimise the use of electricity so that the loadshedding duration.
A spokesman of the company has said that the current energy crisis could be overcome only with the help of customers' co-operation. He said that PESCO is taking all possible steps to overcome the energy crisis. The company has requested to conserve energy by means of less consumption especially during the peak hours ie from 6pm to 11pm. The company has further requested the industrial consumers to extend their co-operation to save at least 25 percent energy and all commercial consumers to close all the shopping plazas and shops before 8pm sharp and switch off all the street lights alternatively especially the billboards.
The domestic consumers are also requested to use energy savers and tube lights instead of bulbs and iron their clothes during the day time so that energy could be saved. Similarly, all consumers are requested to minimise the use of air-conditioners and while using AC its thermostate should be kept at 26 Degree. Tube well operators are required to operate tube wells in accordance with loadshedding schedule, so that customers do not face difficulties in getting water.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan on Tuesday directed PESCO to take notice of the low voltage in the province in general and Peshawar in particular to address problems of masses. He was presiding over a high level meeting with PESCO authorities at Conference room of the Finance department.
The minister said that people were facing a lot problems due to loadshedding and low voltage and asked PESCO chief to solve this matter on priority level and improve flow of electricity besides identifying low voltage areas. He directed the Energy Monitoring Cell to cooperate with PESCO to address issues of provincial departments. The minister was told that maximum arrears pending before government departments have been paid to PESCO while remaining would be submitted shortly.