No power load-shedding during Sehri, Iftar: Govt

PM Shehbaz Sharif orders uninterrupted utility services during Ramazan: Leghari

ISLAMABAD: In important development, the power and petroleum ministers on Wednesday assured the nation that there would be no electricity and gas loadshedding during Sehri and Iftar during the month of Ramazan.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Power Minister Awais Leghari said, “We have decided that there will be absolutely no loadshedding in any area — unless there is a huge fault God forbid — during the timings of Sehri and Iftar.

“Even economic loadshedding in areas with high-loss feeders will be restricted at the time of Sehri and Iftar,” he said. Leghari noted that it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s wish that those fasting were provided with utility services in a proper and timely manner so they “do not face any issues”.

Meanwhile, Malik stated that “complete arrangements” had been made to ensure the supply of gas “with maximum pressure from 3am to 10:30pm, especially during Sehri and Iftar”. Leghari affirmed that it would be ensured that “there is no suspension of electricity during these timings across Pakistan”.

He highlighted that a special control room has been established at the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) to monitor all feeders and ensure the same.

“You have the 118 helpline; please file a complaint on it if you face any kind of issues. It will be addressed immediately,” the Power Minister said. In his remarks, Malik said the decision regarding no gas loadshedding was taken after consultations with the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), so that the public could be provided with “as many facilities as possible”.

For gas-related issues, consumers can lodge a complaint on 119, the petroleum minister stated, adding that situation rooms have been established in the SNGPL and SSGC head offices.

It is pertinent to mention here that The government has issued orders to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity during Sehri and Iftar in the holy month of Ramazan, the Power Division said on Tuesday.

On the instructions of Power Minister Awais Leghari, the Power Division has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all power distribution companies, including K-Electric, to ensure smooth power supply during the fasting hours.

The federal minister directed all distribution companies (DISCOs) to immediately address consumer complaints and instructed their chief executive officers to establish control rooms to monitor electricity supply during Ramazan.