Lahore, Pakistan — A spike in power cuts across Lahore has reignited public anger as residents ask why electricity bills keep climbing while supply remains unreliable amid rising temperatures, The Express Tribune reported.
Officials say demand in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) area has reached about 2,400 megawatts, while supply from the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) is roughly 2,280 MW. Although the numerical shortfall appears small, it has translated into prolonged load-shedding in many parts of the city.
LESCO attributes the harsher outages to high line losses and electricity theft in certain neighbourhoods, which the utility says forces planned interruptions of two to four hours daily to stabilise the grid and reduce financial losses. That explanation has done little to ease residents’ frustration.
Frequent, often unscheduled blackouts have been reported in Green Town, Township, China Scheme, Baghbanpura, GT Road and Sabzazar, as well as in semi-urban areas around the provincial capital. Many people told TET they endured stretches of more than three hours without power and received little response after lodging complaints.
“The bills keep rising every month, but the electricity vanishes without warning,” said a Sabzazar resident, who added his family is struggling in the intense heat. Shopkeepers say the outages have disrupted daily life and squeezed small businesses, forcing reliance on costly backup generators.
“It’s not only the heat, it’s also the financial pressure,” shopkeeper Muhammad Asif told TET. “Generator fuel is expensive, electricity bills are already high, and yet we still face hours without power.”
This report is based on coverage syndicated from The Express Tribune/ANI. The Tribune assumes no responsibility for the content’s accuracy or completeness as published.
