SHANGLA: Residents of Chakesar tehsil staged a protest demonstration for the second straight day here on Friday against some influential people of Thakot Battagram for allegedly cutting a high transmission line by firing at it, which has suspended power supply to their tehsil and its adjoining areas.

The protesters were led by district council member Sher Ali, chairman Shangla action committee Jawad Ahmed and others. They also chanted slogans against Thakot people and Pesco officials.

The transmission line going over the Indus River was disconnected by unknown people on Thursday, which fell into the river, disconnecting power supply to Chakesar and adjoining areas.

Abdulbar Khan, resident of Chakesar, said it was not the first time the people of Thakot had cut the transmission line. He added that last year they had registered a case against the suspects but the police didn’t arrest them because they were influential persons.

Sher Ali, member of district council, accused some political leaders of Thakot of being involved in the power disconnection. He said Pesco had failed to take action against the culprits, who had been causing distress to the people of Chakesar for last four years.

Pesco’s executive engineer for Swat circle, Rehmat Khan, when contacted, told Dawn that those cut the high power transmission line were terrorists. “I had directed SDO Bisham to register cases against the culprits, but the police were reluctant,” he said, accusing police of supporting the culprits.

On the other hand, officials at Changel police station of district Battagram claimed to have registered a case against the culprits, and began search for their arrest.

LANDSLIDE NOT REMOVED: Authorities’ failure to remove a landslide that occurred on the Alpuri-Bisham road over two months back is causing traffic accidents and difficulties to commuters.

The district administration and the National Highway Authority (NHA) had cleared the way for only light vehicles, leaving the mass of mud and rock there, due to which heavy vehicles cannot pass it.

Amjad Ali, a passenger, said landslides have not been removed between Alpuri and Bisham, adding there were huge rocks lying along the road, which threatened vehicles, especially during rains.

Sher Ali, a car driver, told Dawn due to debris over 20 accidents had occurred on the road in last two months, while traffic jams had also become a routine.

When contacted, Alpuri Tehsil Naib Nazim Shaukat Ali said National Highway Authority was responsible for reopening of the road. He lamented that bad condition of road was hampering tourists’ flow to Shangla.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2016