HANGU: Residents of various areas in Hangu district on Monday staged a protest demonstration and blocked the Hangu-Kohat road for vehicular traffic against the hour-long power cut.
A large number of power consumers from Abbaskhel, Togh Serai, Muhammad Khwaja and others hit the roads chanting slogans against the Peshawar Electricity Company (Pesco) sending them inflated bills.
They also condemned the power distribution company for unannounced and prolonged power outages in their areas. Protesters said the power outage has caused acute water shortages in homes and mosques, in addition to disrupting normal life and businesses.
They complained that children and old people could not sleep all night. According to the protesters, the duration of the load shedding was extended to 18 hours, which was in violation of the Chief Minister’s instructions to the relevant authorities.
The protesters have threatened to continue their sit-in on the main road until smooth electricity supply is ensured. Long queues of vehicles and passengers were seen on both sides of the road and motorists faced great hardship due to the blockade of the route.
District administration officials and protest leaders were holding talks to reopen the road, but no result had been reached till the time of reporting.
