PESCO power station closes after ‘violent’ protest the previous day: The Rehman Baba grid station of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) was closed the day after protesters forcefully turned on feeders. This caused a grid problem and stopped electricity for 32 feeders.
A dispute between the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over power cuts reignited when KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur demanded that PESCO, the main power utility in the province, limit daily outages to 12 hours. He instructed lawmakers to intervene at grid stations to restore electricity.
Following his lead, several PTI lawmakers visited grid stations to stop power cuts during the Eid holidays.
In response, a PESCO spokesperson stated that the Rehman Baba grid station in Rahim Yar Khan was shut down after protesters forcibly activated feeders. This caused a grid problem and stopped electricity for 32 feeders.
“The incident happened at 2 pm today when protesters entered the grid station and turned on the feeders forcefully. This overloaded the system and caused a fault, resulting in the suspension of power supply,” the spokesperson explained.
The PESCO spokesperson accused protesters of clashing with PESCO staff, using disrespectful language, and taking away mobile phones. He mentioned that PESCO teams are currently fixing the damage, and it could take several hours to restore electricity.
The spokesperson also stated that constant disruptions by protesters are making life harder for PESCO customers.
Earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar criticized KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for visiting a grid station in Dera Ismail Khan with a group of people.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that if the chief minister could take 100 people to the grid station, he could take 1000.
Atta Tarar emphasized that issues related to electricity and power losses should be resolved collaboratively by the federal government and provinces, with understanding and cooperation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is part of our country. We need to work together to help the people. Solving problems like power theft and line losses will contribute to our country’s development,” he added.
Attaullah Tarar also remarked that some people go to entertainment spots on Eid, while others go to grid stations. “We are not the ones responsible for burning bills.
