MANSEHRA: District returning officer of Parain union council Fazal Rabbi on Friday declared PML-N’s Munir Hussain Shah a tehsil councillor after the recounting of votes on the order of the Peshawar High Court.

Nadir Khan of the PPP was declared successful in the Paran union council elections held on May 30, 2015. However, Mr Munir challenged the results in the Peshawar High Court, which ordered the recounting of votes. However, Mr Nadir secured a stay order from the same court against the vote recounting.

After the vacation of the stay order, votes were recounted showing that Mr Munir had secured four more votes than Mr Nadir.

“After the recounting of votes, we declared Munir Hussain Shah a tehsil councillor,” Paran union council returning officer Fazal Rabbi told reporters here.

He said additional sessions judge Ziaul Haq recounted the votes.

Mr Rabbi said Munir Hussain secured 3,717 votes and Nadir Khan 3,713.

Mr Nadir said he would challenge the recounting of votes in the Supreme Court.

WATER SHORTAGE: The water crisis has deepened in Mansehra city and its suburbs prompting more and more protests by the people, including women.

The local government’s representatives hold each other and frequent power outages responsible for the problem.

District councillor from urban parts of Mansehra Sheryar Khan told reporters that the Tehsil Municipal Administration was to blame for water crisis prevailing since Eidul Fitr.

“The people, including women, are on the streets against the suspension of water supply from TMA schemes but all this is happening because the civic agency lacks leadership,” he said.

The councillor said water supply from the Ichar Nullah and Both Katha schemes should be restored without delay to ease the people’s misery.

Tehsil nazim Khurram Khan told reporters that the water pumping machines hadn’t been functioning since the start of the summer season due to the prolonged power outages and low voltage.

He said all electric transformers installed on water supply schemes were either out of order or were adversely affected by low voltage but Pesco had yet to take corrective measures.

“I have already warned Pesco officials that if the water shortage causes any tragedy, they will be to blame,” he said.

The nazim said no new water supply scheme had been launched in Mansehra city and on its outskirts during the last four decades and thus, causing water crisis.

The consumer court has already ordered the police to produce the local Pesco officials after their failure to appear before it in the Mansehra prolonged and unscheduled power outages case.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2017