It is difficult not to miss the irony.

Police are doing more patrolling on bikes here, while elsewhere across America small towns are taking unusual measures to rein in rising energy costs. One Connecticut town plans to put century-old dams back to work generating electricity, while other communities are telling workers to turn off their vehicles when stopped, instead of letting them idle. Gasoline and heating oil prices have soared, electricity has grown more expensive and health-care costs keep rising, prompting municipalities to do what they can to cut costs.

Most of the southern and western States, and even the normally surplus States in the north-east, are now going through a major power crisis. Power generation has suffered because of poor hydel storage, thanks to a truant monsoon. Compounding the problem, States that usually come to the help of large consumers in such a predicament have themselves run into difficulties in thermal generation on account of vagaries in coal supply. As a result, States like Maharahstra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala have to contend with a major shortage.

The Director General (DG), Wapda, Tahir Basharat Cheema has said that government, using coal as fuel, is planning to set up 5000 MW power generation plant within the next few years. He said this while speaking at a ceremony arranged by Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said that the country's survival largely depends on proper use of its coal reserves. '184 billion tonnes of coal reserves were available in Thar area alone', Cheema said. He expressed concern over the fact that Pakistan was generating only 0.1 percent electricity from coal.

The energy saving drive of the government found little favour with traders in the city on Monday, as markets remained open beyond the stipulated time on the first working day of the week. While people have been suffering degenerating power supply with prolonged and nightlong power outages since Sunday night the situation was not so encouraging amid blazing heat in 34 degrees Celsius with 72 per cent humidity. Various residential areas across the city were hit by prolonged and unannounced power outages of up to 10 hours from late Sunday night till Monday evening.

As many as 91 projects in water sector were being implemented while 16 electricity supply schemes were underway in various parts of Balochistan, official sources told APP here on Sunday. These projects aimed at providing clean drinking water and electricity supply facilities to the people in the province, the sources said, adding that the government would construct 54 more small dams in different districts aimed at resolving water scarcity problems in the province.