MINGORA: People from different walks of life took to the streets here on Tuesday after the duration of power outages exceeded 18 hours in Swat valley.

The protesters, including traders, hoteliers, lawyers, tailors, councillors and political workers, marched on roads and gathered at the main Nishat Chowk.

They said besides prolonged blackouts, they also suffered low voltage which was unable to run fans and other electric gadgets. They said the power outages had also caused acute water shortage in Mingora and other towns.

`Due to prolonged power loadshedding and low voltage all the 52 tube-wells are lying closed, leaving 600,000 people without water.

In this situation people are compelled to hire vehicles to carry water from rivers and springs which is an extra financial burden on the poor people,` said Khalid Mehmood, a leader of PkMAP.

The disgruntled protesters said Swat was one of the few districts where 100 per cent consumers paid electricity bills, but Pesco observed long hours of loadshedding in the valley.

`The loadshedding schedule is four to six hours in Swat but here we have frequent unscheduled power outages. Though men visit Swat River and other cooler places to beat the scorching heat, women and children remain at home most of the time in the sizzling heat,` said Nisar 1(han, district councilor of Rang Mohallah.

`I have not stitched a single suit this month and have to borrow food items from shop which means I am under heavy debt,` said Saleem Khan, a tailor.

The power protesters said tourism was the backbone of Swat economy, but observing such long hours of loadshedding would collapse the tourism industry.

`Observing 18 hours of loadshedding is harming the financial interests of the locals, for which, the federal government is wholly responsible,` said Zahid Khan, president all Swat hotel association. Correspondent