Traders in Quetta’s Hazara Town warned on Friday that they would launch protests if authorities failed to address prolonged electricity outages, the shortage of clean drinking water and delays in infrastructure projects that they said had disrupted daily life and business activities.
Speaking at a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, Central Spokesperson for Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran Balochistan Kashif Haidri said residents and traders had been enduring hours-long, unannounced electricity load-shedding on a regular basis, even during periods of extreme heat.
Haidri said reports had indicated that a new grid station for Hazara Town had been approved, but added that no visible progress had been made on the project. He urged the authorities to begin construction without further delay, saying the existing electricity network had become a continuing risk to people’s lives and property.
He also highlighted the absence of a permanent fire brigade station in Hazara Town, saying the area still lacked an essential emergency response facility.
Referring to the area’s water crisis, Haidri said the shortage of clean drinking water had become increasingly severe, with women, children and elderly residents facing acute hardship during the summer months. He called on the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to ensure an uninterrupted supply of safe drinking water.
Haidri warned that if the authorities failed to meet the traders’ demands and take practical measures to resolve the issues, they would have no option but to stage protests.