MURREE: The rural areas of Murree will get gas in different phases as so far the facility has been provided to the villages of Union Council Darya Gali including Sandiyaan, Aurra, Santhi.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

He said the survey to provide gas to other villages of UC Darya Gali was being carried out.

Gas pipelines have been laid in villages Phithli, Dhaar, Jawa, Bansra Gali, of Ghorra Gali UC, Mohrra, Batnarram Gharyaan, Dhak and other villages of UC Mussiyari, he said, adding rest of the villages of Barra Hoter, Phaphril, Gohrra and Sain would be given gas facility in second phase.

Keeping in the view difficult hilly terrain in Murree, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants are being installed in Sehr Bagla, Potha-Aliot, Phagwari, Dewal and Rawat, Ghorra Gali, Ghehl, Dhandha, Charehan and Bann, Mr Abbasi said.

The plants will also be installed in Kotli Sattiyan tehsil, including its areas of Santh, Karor, Ariari, Kahuti, Lehtrar, and Narr and Punjarr area. Such plants will also be installed in Azad Kashmir, Kahuta, Chitral, Gigit-Baltistan and many other areas, he said.

The federal minister said gas to the rural areas of Murree was being provided on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and hopefully most of the areas would get the facility by next election.

He said laying pipelines in such a difficult mountainous terrain was not an easy task but the government was determined to provide maximum facilities to the people.

The green forests have been denuded so mercilessly not only by timber mafia, but by locals as well as they felled trees for firewood. If the trees continue to be chopped down at this pace soon the hill station would depict a picture of barren desert.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2017