LAHORE: Despite claims by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) that loadshedding has ended across its service area, consumers in several urban and rural localities reported continued power outages on Thursday, ranging from one to several hours.
Lesco management has maintained that the company is observing zero loadshedding after receiving electricity from the national grid in line with its actual demand, except in areas supplied by high-loss feeders. However, residents across Lahore and adjoining districts said forced power cuts were still being imposed, affecting daily life and disrupting water supply due to the non-operation of tube-wells.
Several consumers complained of outages lasting one to two hours in urban neighbourhoods, while residents of rural areas reported longer interruptions. A Lesco official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that loadshedding was continuing even in some areas supplied by feeders categorised as low-loss.
“The loadshedding in our area continues. It was observed for almost two hours on Thursday,” a resident of Johar Town told Dawn, though he acknowledged that the duration of power cuts had reduced compared to previous weeks.
A consumer from Green Town also reported power outages of about two hours, with one hour of loadshedding in the morning and another in the evening. Similarly, residents in Kasur city said forced loadshedding was observed for around one and a half hours in the afternoon, between 3pm and 4:15pm.
“Earlier, we were facing three to four hours of loadshedding daily, so the situation has improved somewhat,” a Kasur resident said, adding that rural areas of the district were still experiencing between four and eight hours of outages each day.
In Batapur, on the outskirts of Lahore, residents said they were facing power cuts lasting four to five hours daily. Several consumers also complained that water shortages had worsened as electricity supply disruptions prevented tube-wells from operating during scheduled hours.
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Earlier this week, a Lesco spokesperson had announced that the company was observing zero loadshedding after receiving adequate supply from the grid, but acknowledged that areas fed by high-loss feeders were still subject to three to six hours of power cuts.
On Thursday, however, both the Lesco chief executive officer and the spokesperson were unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts by this reporter to seek clarification on the complaints raised by consumers.
A Lesco insider confirmed observance of loadshedding even in the areas falling within the service limits of the feeders making no losses.https://t.co/Nl7ki6aUt5
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 16, 2026
The continued reports of power outages have raised questions about the implementation of Lesco’s load management policy and the criteria used to categorise feeders. Consumers have urged the power utility to provide clear information about supply schedules and ensure uniform implementation of its claimed zero-loadshedding regime, particularly during peak summer months when electricity demand remains high.
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