Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday took serious notice of prolonged electricity outages being reported in different parts of the country and expressed dissatisfaction over the situation.
He instructed the authorities to ensure that power cuts in any area do not exceed two hours.
The prime minister issued the directives while presiding over a meeting focused on reviewing the country’s electricity load management, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the briefing, officials said power generation had been affected by the prevailing regional circumstances, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and difficulties in transporting Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG).
The disruption in RLNG supplies had reduced electricity production, forcing authorities to manage the available power supply in line with demand.
PM Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to take immediate steps to overcome the interruption in RLNG supplies, taking into account the regional situation as well as the country’s expected energy needs.
He also called for the efficient use of every available resource to ensure that electricity outages remained limited and no locality was subjected to load-shedding for more than two hours.
The prime minister further ordered the creation of Consumer Grievance Redressal Committees at the level of power distribution companies (DISCOs) to resolve complaints from consumers regarding electricity supply and other related matters.
He instructed that members of the public should also be included in the committees and directed the authorities to make them operational within seven days.
The meeting was informed that electricity consumers could report their complaints by calling helpline 118. After a complaint is registered, the consumer receives a token number along with an estimated timeframe for resolving the issue.
Officials also informed the meeting that, except for six electricity consumers in Rajanpur district, power supply across the country was currently not being affected by monsoon rains.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Leghari, Advisor to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani and other senior government officials.