Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) forcefully closed an important public road being used by locals people for their approach to main road since before the creation of Pakistan; whereas, the local people have decided to strongly protest and resist against this decision.

According to details, the ARL administration closed an around hundred years old public road and stopped the movement of general public on the road. The refinery administration also deputed private security guards equipped with automatic weapons on entry point to add further harassment among masses.

The local residents are facing problems in day to day routine as they are forced to cover a long distance to approach main Morgah Road to visit the market, hospital, post office, schools and banks.

The refinery had already done a failed attempt of similar nature on the main Morgah Road last year to divert public transport on newly built road, but a strong agitation and protest by locals forced the authorities to again open the road.

A source inside the refinery told Daily Times that the ARL administration wants to cordon off whole area and it is a sharp move to completely restrict the public movement inside the refinery area.

It is pertinent to mention here that the sensitive installations of Attock Refinery has already surrounded in a heightened walls with strong security measures and nobody can enter in this area, however, there is no apparent threat to the refinery and its wish to stop public entrance into residential and administrative area is just to add problems in daily routine of public nothing else.

While responding on the issue, the Assistant General Manager Human Resources and Administration of ARL Brigadier (retired) Javed Iqbal Malik said; “the decision was taken under the directions of Pakistan Army as they built a check post on main Grand Trunk (GT) Road and most of the traffic of that road is now using our road as a bypass, which is creating nuisance in residential area of the refinery.” “We are in contact with local notables and trying to convince them that the decision is to only stop the heavy traffic of G.T Road”, he said, adding, “we are devising a strategy to facilitate the local people.”

The people living in surroundings of the ARL announced a protest against the refinery over closure of the road on 8th August and demanded to refinery administration to open the road before the protest otherwise they will have to face a strong reaction of public.

Chaudhry Asif Ali Advocate, former representative of local union council while talking to the Daily Times said; “ARL can never close any road as these roads are open for public from last hundred years and it is the right of local people to use these roads.”

While criticising the refinery, Chaudhry Asif Ali said; “the refinery is pursuing the policy of colonial era because we are facing environmental and health issues, but the administration of the refinery never facilitate our people”. He questioned rhetorically; “refinery administration tell us that how many people of our area is working in the refinery.” The institutions like ARL are supposed to add facilities in surroundings and considered as a sign of development of any area, but in this case the refinery is continuously adding problems in the living of local people; whereas the general public criticised local leaders for this situation.