However, the prolonged loadshedding schedule and additional outages ensured that Lahoris came  back down to earth.

Lets take for example the community I reside in–where on average we experience ’schedule loadshedding’ for 10 hours a day. This translates into not having electricity in our homes about every hour or so–throughout the day–without consideration for weekdays or weekends.

With such a situation, all our basic electrical appliances have either died or been sent to the local repairman. List includes the washing machine, refrigerator, microwave, so and so forth. This is ridiculous, to say the least.

In the wake of this major rainfall today in the city, our local trusty LESCO bunch added another hour of loadshedding. Yes, ADDED!  When we called to ask whether this was due to a fault in the local grid network, a rather disgruntled LESCO employee said that an hour had been officially added to the schedule–and that we will probably face another increase in our monthly electricity bills–as well!  When we expressed our disapproval, he said that the higher-ups are the ones making the call and that the location he went home to often did not get electricity for 8 straight hours!

Navigating our way through the LESCO complaints directory, we got through another LESCO employee–this time a bit higher up in the pecking order.  According to LESCO employee number two, the higher ups believe that there are not any complaints and that people are okay with the current situation of power supply (wow that is an ironic phrase–’power supply’). 

Umm, Lahoris, are we OK with what is going on? Are we OK with our hard earned money going down the drain every month–when we pay for a service that we barely recieve?  Are we OK with spending hours listening to whirring generators/ups ?

I doubt that.  But what I think the problem is that somehow, the complaints are not getting through. Is there not enough media coverage? Possibly. Is there not enough public outcry? No, people are making their point.

 I know this sentiment is not new, nor is the situation unfamiliar to those residing in Pakistan–but the point being, something must be done.

My recommendation:

Call the SDOs, the XENs  responsible for the electricity supply in your neighborhood. Here is the LESCO website link. 

Keep tab of the scheduled loadshedding–everytime unscheduled loadshedding takes place, try to lodge a formal written complaint.

Get the neighbors involved–have them do the same.

Communicate your plight, your problem, your discomfort with the current electricity loadshedding schedule. Write an email, a letter to the editor, or to a member of the provincial assembly.  I am sure there are those of you who have family members relying on vital life support machines, or even breathing aids such as nebulizers–all which are run by electricity.

If you have more ideas, please share with us in the comments section.

Remember, this an essential service that you are paying for and that you deserve customer service.

Enjoy!

So far, 4 people have died and 8 have been injured. Do check up on your loved ones and Stay safe.

ARY News

The Lahore CCPO’s office and the Rescue 15 center were targeted–both show signs of severe destruction.  The Rescue 15 building is located on Fatima Jinnah Road–formerly known as Queens Road. The Police have said that 25 people were inside the building when the blast occured.

As is the case in such scenarios, there are conflicting counts for those injured or killed in this incident.  Geo TV’s website reports 10 killed and 83 injured.  However, according to Edhi’s services, 30 people have been killed so far.   According to the DCO Lahore, 23 people have died due to the blast.

TV news reports say 3 security personnel are among the dead.  Watching Express 24/7, they say 120 to 130 people have been injured but that the numbers come from two main hospitals serving the victims right now, which includes Ganga Ram Hospital.  The casualties are expected to rise.

Emergency crews are continuing to pull people out of the rubble–and aerial surveillance is also underway at the site. Markets in the surrounding areas have been closed down.

Those in Lahore have been requested to donate blood.  Contact 042-756-8724 or 8725 to find out more about the donation process.

Two suspects arrested by the police

According to DCO Lahore Sajjad Bhutta, this was a suicide car bombing. 2 suspects have been arrested by the local police. Eyewitness reports also confirm the incident as a car bombing.

Earlier this morning, I turned on the TV–when the news came of this blast in Lahore.  At the time, 150 people were reported injured–and children are trapped inside St. Anthony’s school near the Mall.  Now it is reported the students have been sent home with their family members.

It is reported that 35 adjacent buildings have been damaged by the intensity of the blast. Also, that the explosion created a crater 20 feet deep at the site.

I also heard that the windows for Quaid-e-Azam library have been shattered. Friends on Facebook who work near the area also reported shattered windows, falling ceilings.

Blast Site

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Razas Gilani have both condemned the attack.

We here at Lahore Metblogs will keep updating this–as more information comes in.

Do pray for those affected by this tragic incident.

Some news sources for those interested: 

• Dawn  , specifically this story
• Geo TV, specifically this article

Lahore

Strumming some Strings

The duo from Strings put on a fantastic show at the Lahore Gymkhana last Saturday!

We , as in the concert goers, had to be real patient throughout the night. Reason being that the band, in keeping with rock-star tradition came on stage about 2 hours after the slated time. Uncle, the violinist who looked like one, kept us from falling asleep. Yes, that is all that can be said in the positive about that act. Next up were Nexus, a local punjabi-pop band that I have heard frequent local universities and colleges. Lets just say they are better as a cover band and they did a commendable job pumping up the crowd; their original song was a unenthusiastic bhangra song praising rotund eyes (ankhian gol gol …). 

 After what seemed like ages the band members themselves graced the stage, as they say, the rest was history!

Here is a (super-duper short) teaser from the concert itself… Enjoy!

11 Second Teaser

Do get a life… *wink*…while you can!

Coping with the joy (read stress) that is the first semester of a Master’s program, my fellow classmates and I found ourselves pressed for time to get our library membership forms and begin researching literary greats in-depth. All four of us decided to climb into a car and make our way to The Mall straight after our third class in the morning. By the time 2 o’clock actually rolled around, it began raining. No, no, not raining, I mean RAINING. (a notch above in intensity from the pakora-chai drizzle, know what I mean?) After weighing the pros and cons, which included ruining a new pair of slippers, waiting out the weather, postponing the trip all together, and the technicalities involving broken windshield wipers, we all sprinted to our vehicle of choice and began the journey towards the Library.

Ahh, Traffic. If you live in Lahore, inhabit Delhi, exist in Karachi, or any other bustling metropolitan Asian city you should have an idea what that word means. For those who don’t: normally slow and erratic traffic is even more so because the rain makes driving/riding haphazard. Don’t ask me how, but it does. Established fact. Waiting and slinking our way through traffic, we made peace with the circumstances, rolled down our windows and enjoyed the weather.

Speeding on The Mall, which is actually a bad idea considering the presence of the police, our car tires shrieked as we turned onto the parking lot of Bagh-E-Jinnah, as if the signal our arrival to all the bookworms inside. Umbrella-free, and toting mostly leather bags, we braved the gigantic and fast-falling raindrops once again to enter the Library from under the columns.

Interrogated by the grandfatherly (read harmless) security guard and then allowed entrance into the library itself after disposing of private books, we went straight to one of the many dark wooden tables on the immediate left, impatient to be bestowed with our library membership forms. If you are a student, the deal is you have to bring in your university/college identitfication card to prove that you are , indeed, a post graduate student, then and only then can you expect to recieve the pea-soup green library card form. Aside from the card the only other predominantly green aspect of the library was the carpet, but that is a story for another day. ( I intend to share my impression vs. actual experience of the library soon, I need to visit once more…hang on)

We were wet yet triumphant! Now all we needed were two specifically specified sized photographs, a bunch of boring personal details, a signature by our Head of Department, and we can research to our merry lil hearts content!!

Splashing through the considerable puddles on our way back to the car, my classmates and I chalked this trip up to the gorgeously rained-out Bagh-E-Jinnah/Quaid-E-Azam Library as one we were not going to forget any time soon. Ending the way any heroic voyage should, the sun shone golden-warm rays all the way home.

I know there is seriousness in the air, but have you been on Mall Road when it rains? If you have, you will agree that the sheer visual interplay of drenched wet brick and wet-vibrant green leaves that brush close to the windscreen is enough to overwhelm the senses, be it just for a brief moment.

I am wondering, are there any hail-enthusiasts out there?

(the emergency business? i hope not. *fingers crossed*)