Public anger grows in Lahore over rising electricity bills and frequent outages

Lahore : A growing wave of electricity outages has intensified public anger, with residents increasingly questioning why electricity bills continue to rise sharply even though power supply remains inconsistent, as temperatures soar across Lahore, according to a report by The Express Tribune (TET).
Officials stated that electricity demand within the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) network has climbed to nearly 2,400 megawatts, while supply from the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) remains around 2,280 MW.
Although the shortfall appears limited on paper, it has resulted in several hours of load-shedding in many parts of the city, as cited by the TET report.
According to LESCO authorities, outages are more severe in areas experiencing higher line losses and electricity theft, where residents are facing daily power cuts lasting between two to four hours.
The utility says these measures are essential to stabilise the power system and reduce financial losses. However, this explanation has done little to ease growing public frustration. In areas such as Green Town, Township, China Scheme, Baghbanpura, GT Road, and Sabzazar, along with semi-urban localities around the provincial capital, extended and often unscheduled power cuts have become a regular occurrence.
Residents in certain neighbourhoods reported being without electricity for more than three hours at a stretch, while repeated complaints to the utility reportedly received minimal response, according to TET.
“The bills keep rising every month, but the electricity vnews agencyshes without warning,” said a Sabzazar resident, who added that his family is finding it increasingly difficult to manage in the intense heat.
“We are paying for a service we are not even receiving,” he said, as quoted by TET.
This frustration is being widely felt throughout the city. Many consumers say the unpredictability of power outages has severely disrupted daily life, impacting everything from household activities to small-scale businesses.
Shopkeepers in particular say they are facing falling sales and mounting expenses as they increasingly rely on backup generators to continue operations.
“It’s not only the heat, it’s also the financial pressure,” said shopkeeper Muhammad Asif. “Generator fuel is costly, electricity bills are already high, and despite that, we still endure hours without electricity,” he said, as cited by TET.