PESHAWAR: The focal person of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly member Fazal Elahi allegedly stormed the Rehman Baba Grid Station and forced Peshawar Electric Power Supply Company (PESCO) officials to restore power to several feeders, according to a PESCO spokesperson.
The incident involved the forced activation of multiple feeders, including Yakatoot, Chana Daq, Sorayzi Bala, Qalandar Baba and Akhunabad.
The Jameel Chowk, Chairman Office and Shalwazan feeders were also reportedly switched on following the intervention.
The focal person also allegedly misbehaved with a company official during the incident.
PESCO said around 80 percent of the feeders connected to the Rehman Baba Grid Station fall into the high-loss category.
The company attributed the load management on these feeders to electricity theft and non-payment of outstanding bills.
The power utility maintained that load management is being carried out in areas where losses remain high, as continued power supply without addressing electricity theft and unpaid dues could increase the company’s financial and technical losses.
PESCO Warns of Further Losses
The PESCO spokesperson further alleged that protesters intimidated and threatened the company’s staff during the incident. The utility expressed concern that restoring electricity to high-loss feeders without addressing underlying issues could result in further losses.
The incident comes amid continuing tensions surrounding electricity supply and load management in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where disputes between residents, political representatives and power distribution authorities have frequently emerged over prolonged outages and feeder shutdowns.
PESCO’s position is that sustainable improvement in electricity supply requires action against power theft, recovery of outstanding bills and reduction of line losses.
The allegations regarding the conduct of the focal person and the forced restoration of feeders could not independently be verified from other sources.
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The development highlights the ongoing challenge faced by power distribution authorities in balancing electricity demand with commercial losses and grid management.
