Daily Times

KARAK: The women of Karak City took to streets against the low gas pressure and excessive load shedding in the district here on Monday and stopped Deputy Commissioner Karak from going to his office.

The women staged a protest sit-in on the road leading to office of the deputy commissioner and he was stopped to go to his office in the way by force.

The women complained that there was no gas and no electricity in the district and the people particularly the women-folk of the district were facing untold miseries.

They further complained that they were unable to prepare the meals without the gas and there was also shortage of potable water in their houses and they were forced to fetch water from other area. The women later marched to the office of Deputy Commissioner Karak Abid Khan Wazir and forcefully entered into the office where an important meeting of PESCO and SNGPL officials was continued with the elders of Karak rights movement.

The women strongly criticized the officials for their failure in resolving the very basic problems of the people of the district. The women resolved that they would not move from the office of the deputy commissioner until and unless practical steps have not been taken for the resolution of their problems. The deputy commissioner asked the officials of SNGPL to resolve the low gas pressure without any delay of Karak city and he along with the officials of SNGPL assured the women that the gas pressure would be increased today. After the assurances of the concerns quarters the women left the office of deputy commissioner.

Meanwhile, the elders of Karak Rights Movement held a meeting with the officials of PESCO and SNGPL in the deputy commissioner Karak office and besides the deputy commissioner Abid Khan Wazir and district police officer Mian Naseeb Jan, the elders of the movement including Zafar Khattak, Shabbir Khattak, Hayat Khattak and others attended the meeting.

In the meeting the officials of PESCO hinted that with the improvement in recovery of the liabilities and the deposit of the current power bills the load shedding duration would be decreased.

While the officials of SNGPL claimed that regarding the demand of the installation of new meters of gas to the consumers would be taken up with their high ups. The elders agreed with the assurances of the officials and set a week deadline for the officials to execute on their promises. They claimed that after the deadline they would organize protest on January 23, in case of failure of the officials in realizing their promises.

Water supply schemes: The residents of Takki Mithakhel and adjacent localities have demanded of the district government to make operational the two drinking water supply schemes installed for the people of the area and claimed that the residents of the area were thirsting for a single drop of water.

This was informed by the elders of the area in a protest meeting held in the area with the ‘Islahi Jirga’ President Sardar Khan in the chair here on Monday and large number of people of the area attended the meeting.

The meeting informed that two drinking water supply schemes completed for the residents of the area with huge chunk of Rs 20 million during the last ANP Government and also water tanks and lining had been completed four years ago to the residents.

The meeting claimed that after the end of the ANP government the incumbent government was least interested to make functional the projects initiated in the last government as a result the people were facing shortage of drinking water.

They said that the women of the area have to fetch drinking water from remote area for drinking purposes. The elders claimed that only water pumps and electrification of the drinking water supply schemes were required for the operation of the schemes and added that the schemes were decaying very rapidly due to negligence on the part of the quarter concern; therefore, it should be made operational forthwith to make it beneficial for the people.

They demanded of the district government to approve the required funds for the schemes as early as possible to resolve the longstanding demand of the people of the area.