Good News for Gujranwala: GEPCO Confirms No Load Shedding During Sehr and Iftar
As the holy month of Ramazan approaches in 2026, those of us living in Gujranwala, Sialkot, and surrounding areas have one question on our minds: "Will the lights stay on during Sehr and Iftar?"
I’ve lived in Model Town for over a decade, and I know the struggle of trying to prepare the first Sehr in the dark or cooling down the house before Iftar during a sudden power outage. But this year, the news from the GEPCO headquarters on GT Road is actually promising.
Zero Load-Shedding Plan for Holy Hours
Federal Minister for Power, Awais Leghari, has issued strict instructions to all electricity distribution companies (DISCOs), including GEPCO, to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply during the most critical hours of the day.
According to the official GEPCO Ramazan 2026 directive, there will be strictly zero load-shedding during two main windows. This reliability is part of GEPCO's broader move towards a Smart Grid with 99.9% uptime:
- Sehr Timings: Usually 1 hour before and after the start of the fast.
- Iftar Timings: 1 hour before and after the opening of the fast.
Directives for High-Loss Feeders
What makes this year’s announcement special is that even areas categorized as "High-Loss" (areas with lower recovery or higher line losses) will get relief. In the past, these areas were often the first to face outages. GEPCO has been directed to shift any necessary load-management to other times of the day, ensuring everybody in the Gujranwala division can break their fast with peace of mind.
Dedicated Monitoring and Control Rooms
To back up these promises, GEPCO is setting up dedicated "Ramazan Monitoring Control Rooms." These centers will work 24/7 to monitor every feeder from Nandipur to Sialkot.
If a technical fault occurs—which we know can happen with our aging infrastructure—teams have been ordered to fix it immediately. UN-announced outages are strictly forbidden, and the CEO of GEPCO has personally warned staff that negligence during Sehr or Iftar will not be tolerated.
Tips for GEPCO Consumers This Ramazan
While GEPCO is doing its part, we can also help keep the local grid stable. During Sehr and Iftar, thousands of air conditioners and kitchen appliances turn on at once. To prevent local transformer trips:
- Try to avoid running heavy machinery or multiple ACs exactly at Iftar time.
- Check your GEPCO bill early this month to ensure your payment is clear, as recovery drives often intensify before Ramazan.
- Keep the GEPCO helpline number (118) or your local SDO's number handy just in case of a local fuse blow.
Stay tuned to GEPCOBill.com.pk for the latest power schedules and automated billing services. May you have a blessed and enlightened Ramazan!