MINGORA: The people of Saidu Sharif, including local government representatives, on Saturday protested the possible relocation of the local SNGPL offices to a far-off area and warned they would agitate if the plan was executed.

The protest was staged outside the offices of the district administration and district nazim.

Tehsil councillor Dr Khalid Mehmood, who led protesters, said the current SNGPL offices were easily accessible to the people of Mingora for being located at a central place in Saidu Sharif.

He said ‘some elements’ wanted the relocation of those offices to serve own interests.

“The shifting the SNGPL offices to a far-off ‘non-consumer’ areas like Fizagat and Sangota as planned will inconvenience visitors. We won’t let that happen and will take to the streets if the authorities try to do so,” he said.

The councillor said Fizagat and Sangota areas were located away from Saidu Sharif, were congested and had traffic congestion and therefore, the relocation of the SNGPL offices there was unsuitable. He said Saidu Sharif was the most suitable place for those offices.

Member of the Swat district council Nisar Ahmad Khan, who also participated in the protest, said the SNGPL offices should be moved to a suitable area in Saidu Sharif if their relocation was inevitable.

When contacted, Mirwais, a relevant official at the SNGPL offices in Saidu Sharif, said his organisation’s current premises were damaged by the recent earthquake, so it was no more safe to use it.

“The earthquake caused damages to the structure of our building and therefore, the civil department asked us to immediately move out,” he said. The official said the SNGPL had identified three buildings in Mingora’s Mela, Sabzi Mandi and Fizagat areas to choose from for its new offices.

“Our technical teams have approved those buildings after inspection. Our board of directors will meet soon to make a choice,” he said.

District nazim Mohammad Ali Shah told Dawn the district administration would find a building to house SNGPL offices, which was not only accessible to gas consumers but also had all facilities.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2016