HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s (PPP) senior leader and Senator Maula Bakhsh Chandio talked to press on Sunday and said that the shortage of electric supply in Sindh is compounding the problems in the province.
Talking to the media he said that artificial crisis of electricity is being created in Sindh and if electricity supply is not improved, it will further complicate the problems of the province including water supply, drainage and day to day economic activities. He mentioned that State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali is responsible for the power shortage. Chandio also said that if the problems caused by electricity shortage are not resolved immediately then they could worsen the peace and stability situation in the province. He added that if situation further deteriorates then it would not only be a problem for the Sindh government but also for the Federal government.
Abid Sher had been proactive for electric tariffs and supply issues and he had been ordering the disconnection of electricity to the areas where the consumers have defaulted on large amounts. Several areas of Sindh have come under this action where the electric supply has been suspended. This has led to an increase in the difficulties of many people, including those who are consuming much less electricity than the defaulters and have also been paying the bills.
Several areas in Sindh have been suffering acute shortage of electricity. There were reports of electricity breakdown on Saturday which still had not been restored after more than 10 hours. One local shopkeeper Khuda Baksh who had been affected by the electricity shortage said, “The temperature is too high and there is no light. Even the customers do not come in such conditions and the business is being affected adversely due to no light”. Another local, who works in a tailoring shop Abdullah told Daily Times, “the work had been on a halt for the past four, five days. We cannot get new work and cannot get the work done either. We are poor people and we are paying for the fault of the rich”.
Maula Baksh had warned that if the electricity shortage continues the same way, it will multiply into far worse problems for the provincial and federal governments. Therefore it is imperative to resolve this issue at priority basis. While answering a question about former president and PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said that Zardari could meet the prime minister to express solidarity for his medical treatment, but there is no possibility of a political alliance.
