SHANGLA: The local government representatives and youth of Bisham city staged a protest on Friday against the alleged shifting of a proposed playground project to Alpuri, the district headquarters of Shangla.

Village council nazim Guldad Khan led the protesters who were gathered at the Bisham KDP ground, demanding of PTI chief Imran Khan to fulfill his commitment regarding construction of a cricket ground in Bisham. They said that PTI’s chief had announced a cricket ground for Bisham two years ago and had said that it would be built in three months, but unfortunately he had failed to honour his word.

The protesters said despite passage of two years sportsmen and general public had been awaiting implementation of the decision, adding the sports ground was a must for the populated Bisham city.

They said that KDP ground was a rocky field and playing there was not that easy. “Teams from surrounding districts visit Shangla to participate in tournaments, but they are perturbed at the lack of a proper playground in the district,” lamented Said Abdul Salam, Butyal village council nazim.

He said the government should not shift the ground project from Bisham to Alpuri because the sports activities continued round the year in Bisham.

The protesters warned of blocking the KKH if the government didn’t review its decision.

Also in the day, public transporters held a demonstration in Aloch Bazaar against the bus stand contractor for alleged misbehaviour with them.

The transporters chanted slogans against the contractor of the Watki bus stand, accusing him of even thrashing a driver, Mutabar Shah, recently, for not greasing his palms after sold his vehicle.

The transporters demanded of the transport authority and deputy commissioner Swat to take action against the arrogant contractor.

TWO DIE ON ROAD: Two persons of a family were killed and three injured when a car plunged into a ravine in Speen Kara area of Alpuri on Thursday.

Local police told Dawn that the inmates of the ill-fated car were coming from Swat to Shahpur area to condole death of a relative. Locals and police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies and wounded from the ravine and shifted them to district headquarters hospital, Alpuri.

The deceased were identified as Fawad and his aunt Shamim, while injured were Habiba, mother of Fawad, his brother Numan, and father Mohammad Iqbal. The family belonged to Faiz Abad area of Swat.

Later, the doctors referred the injured to Saidu Teaching Hospital in Swat in critical condition.

Meanwhile, local people and relatives of the deceased staged a protest over unavailability of fuel in the DHQ hospital ambulances.

They said the critically injured persons remained in the hospital for an hour as there was no fuel in the ambulances.

They demanded of the health department to take notice of the situation.

Published in Dawn December 31st, 2016