KARAK: The district administration on Friday booked five leaders of Khattak Loya Jirga and two rights activists for blocking Indus Highway during their protest on Thursday against power and gas shortages in the district.

Official sources said that the administration registered cases against jirga members, including former provincial ministers Fareed Tofan and Mian Nisar Gul, former MNA Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, former district nazim Sharif Khattak, ANP’s provincial joint secretary Khursheed Khattak and two office-bearers of rights organisations under sections 149 and 341 of PPC.

The protesters had blocked the road to demand improvement in gas pressure, end to prolonged power outages, setting up of oil refinery in the district and to hold probe into the alleged oil theft form the main line of foreign oil and gas exploration company, MOL.

WATER SHORTAGE: The residents of Karak city have complained of acute shortage of drinking water.

Talking to reporters on Friday, local people, including Khursheed, Haroon Khattak, Ahmad Nawaz and others, said that water of three tube-wells out of five run by the tehsil municipal administration had turned brackish and the remaining two couldn’t fulfill the needs of local residents.

They said that the Zebi dam water supply scheme was not functional due to negligence of the concerned department, as a result, the mega project had failed to produce the desire results.

The residents said that over 30,000 populace of the city were forced to purchase water at Rs15 per gallon which wasn’t affordable for the poor citizens.

They suggested that the drinking water should be supplied to Karak city either from Karak dam or Lawagher dam and added that the feasibility study of the Kotal dam near Karak city should be completed as early as possible.

Published in Dawn March 1st , 2015

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