Power situation to normalise from May 1: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Tuesday that the power crisis that has struck households will ease from May 1.

“I am acutely aware of the hardships people are facing due to load-shedding,” he wrote in a tweet.

Prolonged power cuts are being witnessed all over the country as the gap between demand and supply of electricity widens.

According to reports, all urban centres, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot have been severely hit with 4-10 hours of power cuts. Rural areas are experiencing 10-12 hours of no electricity.

“PTI government neither procured any fuel nor undertook timely repair and maintenance of plants. After emergency steps are decided today, the power situation will normalise significantly by May 1," said the PM in his tweet.

Earlier, he had chaired an emergency meeting to deal with the problem of load-shedding where officials briefed him about the production, transmission and consumption of electricity as well as the demand and supply gap, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

PM irked by power load-shedding

The meeting stressed upon drafting a plan to resolve the issue of load-shedding and reducing the sufferings of the general public.

The PM was informed that 20 out of 27 power units, that had been shut for over a year, have been made operational and are now producing electricity.

The PM was also told that the previous government did not procure any fuel for the power plants during its four-year term.

The Power Division officials told the PM that 18,500 MW electricity was being produced in the country, and there was a shortfall of 500-2000 MW.

Looking ahead, PM Shehbaz wants a plan prepared for the next month as well as a coordinated system of fuel supply. He has called for a long-term strategy to overcome deficits of the loss-incurring power distribution companies.

He also directed for the continued and uninterrupted supply of diesel for the operation of agricultural machinery. He asked district administrations to ensure that farmers do not face any problem in the purchase of diesel.