Thousands of Lahore residents will face scheduled power outages tomorrow as the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) begins critical grid maintenance. The utility firm confirmed the work is necessary to stabilize the city’s aging distribution network ahead of the upcoming seasonal load.
The outages are slated to start at 9:00 AM and run until 3:00 PM across several key zones. LESCO officials claim the downtime is unavoidable to prevent unplanned technical failures that have plagued the grid over the last three months.
The affected areas include parts of Gulberg, Model Town, Johar Town, and DHA Phases 1 through 4. Businesses in these commercial hubs are bracing for a difficult day, with many small shop owners citing the lack of notice as a major disruption to their daily operations.
“We were told about this at the eleventh hour,” said a grocery store owner in Model Town. “Six hours without power isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a direct hit to our refrigeration and sales.”
LESCO’s spokesperson, speaking briefly on the matter, dismissed claims of poor planning. He noted that the maintenance window was chosen to minimize impact during the current moderate temperatures, arguing that delaying the repairs would risk a total transformer collapse in the affected sectors.
Critics, however, point to the frequency of these “scheduled” outages as a sign of deeper systemic rot within the city’s infrastructure. While LESCO maintains that these upgrades are essential for long-term reliability, residents are left to manage the immediate reality of half a day without electricity.
For those living or working in the affected zones, the message is clear: keep your devices charged and your backup generators ready. The grid is getting a tune-up, but the cost is being paid by the people at the end of the line.
