LAHORE: Forced power loadshedding amid summer heat has made people`s life miserable in urban and rural areas of Lahore and other parts of Punjab, especially during the f asting month of Ramazan.

The situation is terrible in the both rural and urban areas f alling within service jurisdiction of Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) high-loss feeders (all categories), where the consumers are forced to suffer 4 to 10 hours loadshedding in various timings.

The affected Lesco consumers have criticised the government for doing nothing to mitigate the problem by ensuring uninterrupted power supply.

`The terrible loadshedding is biting us in such a severe hot weather. But the of ficials continue to make tall claims of uninterrupted electricity supply. Such claims are absolutely wrong, deplores a resident of a rural area in Kasur.`For the last many days, we have been facing unannounced power loadshedding for two to four hours in dif ferent timings,` he says.

According to a resident of Batapur, the power consumers have been facingloadshedding for four to eight hours. `We don`t know why our (semi-rural) area is being treated this way,` he says.

Talking to Dawn, a resident of Johar Town says: `Since beginning of summer, especially the month of Ramazan, unannounced loadshedding has disturbed our routine business. For the last many days, we are also witnessing loadshedding or tripping during Sehr and If tar timings, According to a Lesco source, the situation has started improving af ter the long heatwave spell weakened due to rains in parts of Punjab.

`During Iftar timings, the electricity shortfall has considerably been reduced. On Wednesday last, maximum demand had touched 4,900MW whereas the shortfall was over 500MW,` the official says.