Hangu residents protest inflated bills

HANGU: The residents of various areas in Hangu district on Monday staged a protest demonstration and blocked the Hangu-Kohat road to vehicular traffic against the hours-long electricity loadshedding.

A large number of power consumers from Abbaskhel, Togh Serai, Muhammad Khwaja and others took to the roads and chanted slogans against the Peshawar Electricity Company (Pesco) for sending them inflated bills.

They also denounced the power distribution company for unannounced and prolonged electricity loadshedding in their areas.The protesters said power breakdown had also caused acute water shortage in houses and mosques besides disturbing routine life and businesses.

They complained that the children and aged people couldn’t sleep the entire night. The duration of loadshedding, the protesters said, had been extended to 18 hours which was a violation of the chief minister’s directives to relevant authorities.

The protesters threatened that they would continue the protest sit-in on the main road till the restoration of smooth supply of electricity ensured.Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the road and passengers and the motorists faced great hardships due to blockade of routes.

The officials of district administration and protesters’ leaders held talks for the reopening of the road but there was no outcome till filing of the report.