MANSEHRA: Four people, including two brothers, were killed and two women suffered critical injuries when a jeep plunged into a deep ravine near Balakot on Tuesday night.

The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the jeep bound for Kaleesh village from Shawal Mazullah while negotiating a sharp turn few miles from its destination.

The local residents retrieved the bodies and the injured from the ravine and shifted them to the main Balakot hospital.

Jeep driver Mohammad Mehboob, passengers Mohammad Buba and his brother Mohammad Juma, and unidentified woman died instantly.

The two women passengers were critically injured. They were taken to the main Balakot hospital where the doctors referred them to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra.

The injured were admitted to the Kath after emergency treatment.

The Balakot police lodged an FIR and began investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

NO CUT IN PRICES: The people of Mansehra, especially those living in remote Siren and Konsh valleys, have complained transporters have yet to cut the fare despite the recent decline in the petroleum products.

“We, the commuters, were happy to see the prime minister announce an overall 15 per cent reduction in oil prices for the current months but the happiness turned out to be brief as transporters didn’t transfer its benefits to us by sticking to the old fare list,” village councillor Sakhi Sultan told reporters here on Wednesday.

He also said unfortunately, the prices of kitchen items also didn’t see any reduction.

Another village councilor, Mohammad Amjad, said the people of Jabori, Shinkiari, Dadar and other parts of Mansehra district continued to pay the old fare.

“Neither the federal nor the provincial government is sincere about ensuring transfer of the benefits of the recent slash in oil prices to commuters,” he said.

The councillor said though illegal, transporters continued to charge passengers Rs55 for traveling from Mansehra to Jabori, Rs20 from Shinkiari to Mansehra, Rs20 from Shinkiari to Dadar and Rs35 from Jabori to Shinkiari. He said the transport fare had been uncharged despite reduction in petroleum prices.

The two councilors warned the villagers would block the Jabori-Mansehra Road indefinitely if transporters didn’t cut fare appropriately.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2016