SHANGLA: The local government representatives from Bisham tehsil have filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court’s Swat bench against the transfer of staff of the tehsil headquarters hospital to other areas.

The district and tehsil councillors from Bisham, Butyal, Maira and Batkoot told reporters here on Friday that they had filed a writ petition in the PHC’s Swat bench on behalf of the people of Bisham tehsil against the transfer of 18 employees of THQ hospital to THQ Puran, which was unlawful and had badly affected the hospital’s functioning.

Ijaz Ahmed Yousafzai, tehsil councillor from Butyal union council, who is one of petitioners, said the Bisham hospital not only catered to the health needs of Shangla people but also those of neighbouring Kohistan and Battagram districts.

“I myself belong to PTI but will not tolerate such acts of the party ministers. Anyone involved in the transfer of health staffers should be answerable to the public,” he made it clear.

The respondents in the case include provincial chief secretary, secretaries of health and finance, establishment and health services departments.

Sher Ali, district councillor from Butyal, pointed out that the hospital’s radiology department remained shut for last two months due to transfer of the staff. He hoped that they would get justice from the court.

WATER SHORTAGE: The residents of Alpuri civil colony complained on Friday of water shortage.

They told reporters that the colony had been facing shortage of clean drinking water since long, forcing people to fetch the commodity from distant springs.

The locals regretted that despite repeated appeals to the deputy commissioner and public health engineering department, no step was taken to resolve the matter.

MAN KILLED: A young man was stabbed to death by his cousin over a petty issue in Kerai area of Bisham the other day.

SHO Bisham Habib Sayed Khan said accused Sardar Zeb attacked his cousin, Waliullah, with a knife, injuring him critically, over a petty issue.

The injured was rushed to the tehsil headquarters hospital, Bisham, where doctors stated him dead.

Police lodged FIR and arrested two culprits, including Zeb and his father.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2017