SHANGLA: Residents of Chakesar have blocked Bisham-Swat road at Karora protesting for power supply from Khan Khwar hydro power project’s newly built 132KV grid station.
The protesters carried out car rally from Chakesar to Karora wherein blocked the main Bisham-Swat road for vehicular traffic and gathered for agitation. Convener of tehsil council Alpuri Shaukat Ali Khan, Niaz Khan Shangla, Jawad Ali Noor, Nazir Ahmed advocate, Haider Ali Khan led the protest.
While addressing, speakers said on the occasion that they were came onto roads for their rights from which they have been kept deprived by the rulers.
“The former rulers and Pesco authorities had made promised with us that power supply transmission line would be also given to Chakesar tehsil from the newly built 132KV grid station but both government and Pesco failed to fulfil to their promise,” Niaz Khan Shangla, Social activist, said and added that now except Chakesar the rest of areas enjoying the power supply of Khan Khwar power project.
Shaukat Ali, Alpuri council convener, said, power supply from 132KV Shang grid station is basic right, so Pesco install transformer in it for Chakesar tehsil too because Chakesar tehsil’s masses suffering of excessive power outage and low voltage.
He said, minister information KP Shaukat Yousafzai should have taken measures for Chakesar tehsil although it was not his constituency but he had focused only to Bisham and Shang.
“We want uninterrupted power supply with full voltage and scheduled loadsheding because in such scorching heat life without electricity in trouble. We can never bear the government and Pesco injustice and being citizen of the country have right to enjoy power supply like anyone else citizen of the country,” Haider Ali, another resident said.
He said, Pesco must ensure power supply from newly built 132KV Shang grid station and scheduled loadsheding also conduct proper meter reading in the area instead of sending inflated bills to consumers.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Alpuri Fida-ul-Karim and Sub-divisional police officer, Amjad Ali and other officials reached at the protest site and held negotiations with the protesters leaders assured them that their demand is already accepted and CM had been announced transformer for Chakesar to be installed in the Shang grid station within a month.
He said, he would also hold a meeting with the Pesco authorities concerned to discuss to observe scheduled loadsheding in Chakesar tehsil.
Minister for information Shaukat Yousafzai, told Dawn that the issue of Chakesar power supply line should not be politicised because he has taken step for it and on his request during inauguration of the Shang grid station CM also announced transformer for Chakesar.
He said, work on installation of transformer for Chakesar at the grid station will be started after Eidul-Azhad.
The minister also directed district administration Shangla to be vigilant during the rainfall in which two men were died and over a dozen sustained injured.
He asked the PDMA authorities to reach every affected family and give them shelter and foods.
