SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: In South Waziristan Lower, there is a 132 kV grade station for a population of 400,000, lakh but TESCO authorities have established the rule of darkness throughout the district.
Local residents and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers staged protest against 22 hours load shedding at Azamwarsak bazar on Tuesday.
A large number of PTI workers participated in the demonstration and took out a rally at Azam Varsak Bazar.
The protesters said while talking to the media that due to load shedding, not only are there problems in irrigating the crops, but people are longing for clean drinking water.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf local leader Khanzada Wazir told that the TESCO authorities only have two hours of electricity available out of 24 hours is also like an eyesore.
Addressing the protesters, Khanzada said that most of the people have been forced to install solar systems due to lack of electricity here.
Haroon Wazir, another PTI leader, told media that the district of Lower South Waziristan is an agricultural region.
He said electricity has not been provided to run the tubewell for years, but it has become difficult to get water for ablution in the mosques.
He said that residents here are longing for electricity supply to light a light.
However, the 22-hour long load shedding has also caused problems to common citizens, farmers and gardeners.
On the other hand, Wana Grade Station in-charge Nawar Khan Wazir told media, that we have reduced the transmission of electricity in all the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including South Waziristan Lower and Upper, because people here neither install meters nor pay electricity bills.
He said that the supply of electricity for more than two hours is not in our jurisdiction, it is the work of the federal government
He said whether it provides free electricity to the tribal areas or a separate mechanism is made for bill collection.
It is worth mentioning here, that due to non-availability of electricity, the local tribes have mostly been forced to install solar systems.
Locals have more to say that at the time of construction of Gomal Zam Dam, with the tribal elders of Lower South Waziristan was promised free electricity supply, which has not yet been fulfilled.
Citizens say that the government should fulfill its promise and end load shedding and people should not be pushed into darkness any more.
