A spate of bombings in Peshawar has kept the Pukhtunkhwa capital in
the headlines in recent times. But unknown to people outside the
city, the daily lives of the residents of Peshawar are becoming even
more miserable as a result of government-made problems on other fronts.
Start with electricity, or rather the lack thereof. With power
generation plummeting over the winter across Pakistan, Peshawar has
been one of the hardest hit cities, suffering power outages of up to 12
hours a day. The situation raises at least two questions. First, is the
burden of ‘loadshedding’ being shared fairly across the country? There
has been speculation that the National Power Control Centre in
Islamabad is resorting to cutting power to Pukhtunkhwa when the power
requirement further down in the country spikes. Second, why are the
power outages in Peshawar so erratic and seemingly unplanned? Elsewhere
in the country, loadshedding schedules are announced by the local
distribution companies and, by and large, adhered to. But Peshawar is
not so lucky; residents complain that when the power goes off, they
have little idea when it will be switched on — it can be an hour, or
two, or six. The massive disruptions caused, to industry, homes,
commercial establishments and even emergency services, are not very
difficult to imagine.
Next, the supply of petrol and diesel to the city is haphazard and
the source of a great deal of aggravation to Peshawarites. The reason
for shortages of petroleum products is only partly security-related
(several fuel depots have been closed in the province due to the fear
of terrorist attacks). Profiteering appears to be a large part of the
problem. As the first of each month approaches, which is when the price
of petrol and diesel are announced, fuel stations in Peshawar curtail
supply in the anticipation of earning a windfall through price
adjustments. Sometimes the virtual shutdown continues for days, as was
the case at the start of this month when petrol and diesel were not
available in many places even on Jan 3, 2010. Given that at the moment the
northern parts of the country are also suffering from acute shortages
of gas and CNG, Peshawar is sometimes left all but fuel-less.
The residents of Peshawar have been left out in the cold.
We understand that security issues are the top priority for the
city’s and Pukhtunkhwa administrators and that administrative resources
are stretched thin. But surely the problems relating to the supply of
electricity and fuel we have highlighted here are not beyond solution.
The residents of Peshawar deserve a break, and officials should work
harder to give them one where possible.
