Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan] September 17 : Residents of Reshun, Zait and Kuragh villages have resumed their protest after a 15-day deadline given to the provincial government to rationalise electricity bills expired, according to a report by Dawn.
As mentioned in the Dawn report, consumers supplied by the 4.2-megawatt Reshun Hydropower Station, operated by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO), are demanding an immediate review of the electricity tariffs being charged to them.
The local action committee, known as the Reshun Power Committee (RPC), has announced a plan under which villagers will hold daily token sit-ins and block the strategic Chitral-Shandur Road for two hours each day.
According to Dawn, the committee has warned that if its demands are not addressed by September 24, the road, described as a vital artery, will be blocked indefinitely.
Addressing protesters at the dharna, RPC Chairman Syed Sardar Hussain Shah criticised the provincial government, alleging that authorities had repeatedly gone back on their commitments.
Shah also accused the government of ignoring what he described as the "reasonable and genuine" demands of the local population. The protesters are seeking an end to what they describe as inflated electricity bills and want electricity charges to be brought in line with the national tariff, particularly because the hydropower station is a provincial asset.
Explaining the history of the dispute, Shah said PEDO began charging consumers Rs15 per unit after the Reshun Hydropower Station was washed away by floods a few years ago. The rate was equivalent to the tariff charged by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).
During the period when the local hydropower station was out of operation, the provincial government purchased electricity from the federal grid to supply the area.
However, as cited by Dawn, Shah argued that the higher tariff continued even after the Reshun powerhouse was successfully restored and recommissioned.
The RPC chairman said the community had called off its protest around two weeks earlier after receiving assurances from the government that the electricity tariff issue would be resolved.
However, a delegation subsequently spent a week in the provincial capital seeking a resolution but returned without any progress. According to Shah, the failure of government officials to respond to their demands left residents deeply disappointed.
During Wednesday's demonstration, protesters became enraged and completely blocked the main road at Reshun to all types of traffic, resulting in long queues of vehicles being stranded.
The protesters have now resumed their movement, with the RPC warning of further escalation if the provincial government fails to address their demands within the announced deadline.