LAKKI MARWAT: Farmers here have demanded of the government to start work on the project of upraising Baran dam to ensure that water flows into the Marwat canal.

The demand was made at a meeting held at Malang Adda here the other day. Farmers hailing from different union councils depending on Marwat canal for irrigation water attended the meeting.

The farmers said they had been hearing about launch of work on the project for the last several years, but no practical steps had been taken so far. “The unavailability of water in Marwat canal due to silting of Baran dam has created problems for the growers,” said Mohammad Khan.

Another farmer, Shadi Khan, said that fertile lands had turned barren due to unavailability of water, depriving peasants of their livelihood. He said that the local irrigation department had recently restored water flow in the canal to some extent, but there was lot to be done for resolving the farmers’ problems.

Other farmers said that silting of dam had reduced its storage capacity and halted water flow into the canals.

JI DEMANDS: Frontier Regions’ Jamaat-i-Islami chief Maulana Zahidullah Turabi has asked the government to take notice of absence of employees from the schools and hospitals in the tribal area.

Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, he said that absence of teachers and doctors had turned the facilities into ghost places.

“The local authorities concerned as well as assistant political agent are reluctant to pay heed to improve the state of affairs in FR Lakki region,” he said.

Maulana Turabi complained about lack medicines in the local hospitals. He also demanded restoration of power supply to the tribal area, which had been suspended for the last two weeks because of a damaged power pylon.

COPS SUSPENDED: Acting district police officer Tauheed Khan on Friday suspended six policemen after an under-trial prisoner escaped from the government city hospital here late on Thursday night.

An official said that an under-trial prisoner, Rashid Zaman, charged under Section 356B and 376 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) was shifted to the hospital on Aug 23 from jail for treatment of a wound on his head. He said that taking advantage of slackness and negligence of cops deployed in the hospital, the prisoner escaped.

The official said that Zaman’s escape was reported to the area police and a search operation was conducted in the surrounding area, but to no avail.

He said that the cops deployed at the hospital were suspended from service with immediate effect for showing gross negligence in performing duty.

The suspended policemen included Gul Jamal, Dil Jan, Masoodur Rehman, Akbar Zaman, Fareed and Arab Khan, he said, adding that they would also face disciplinary proceedings under the prescribed rules.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016