KARAK: The elders of Banda Duad Shah tehsil have said that oil and gas production bonus funds should be utilised only in those areas where exploration work is underway.

Addressing a meeting here on Wednesday, the elders demanded of the elected representatives of the district to stop usurpation of rights of the people of Banda Daud Shah.

The meeting was addressed by former councillors Banaras Khan, Said Mehmood, Samiullah, Mohammad Ata and others. They expressed resentments over the utilisation of production bonus funds of Rs360 million for development of other areas of the district.

They claimed that as per law the funds should be utilised only in those areas where the exploration work was being carried out. They complained that the said funds were utilised for uplift of other areas of the district by the elected representatives which was sheer injustice with the people of the area.

The elders said that people of Banda Daud Shah suffered owing to oil and gas exploration activities and infrastructure in the area was badly damaged. They said that so far the elected representatives didn’t spend the funds of production bonus in the area.

They said that the royalty of oil and gas should be spent in the other areas of district but production bonus was meant for the development of the specific area where the exploration activities were being carried out.

The participants of the meeting decided to meet with the elected representatives to convey to them the sentiments of the people of the tehsil. A committee was also formed for the purpose.

DEATH PENALTY: The court of additional sessions judge awarded death sentence to a man and imposed Rs0.2 million fine on him in a murder case here on Wednesday.

Two other persons were acquitted in the case owing to lack of evidence. The court presided by Judge Qaisar Raheem awarded death sentence and Rs 0.2 million fine to Rehman Wali, a residence of Gardi Banda, for killing Tariq Mehmood two years ago.

The court acquitted Wali Rehman and Abdul Wali in the case owing to lack of evidence.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

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