SWABI: The residents of different villages in the district have demanded of the leaders of the ruling PTI to fulfil their pledge about provision of natural gas to the localities.

During a visit to different villages, the local people said that PTI swept elections and its candidates emerged victorious from all seven constituencies of the district.

They said that PTI leaders had promised during the election campaign to provide natural gas to the villages.

They said that Peshawar High Court on March 8, 2017 in a contempt petition of former MNA Aqibullah Khan against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) had directed the government to provide gas to about 24 villages of the district within a month.

The villagers said that more than one year passed but the PTI leaders failed to pursue the case and only pipes were supplied to various villages by SNGPL. However, work on the project remained stopped often owing to unknown reasons, they added.

Mohammad Rashid, a resident of Batakara village, said that few weeks ago there were reports that SNGPL had taken back some of the pipes, supplied to their village. “The enthusiasm, which we have seen during the arrival of the pipes, has been vanished,” he added.

The residents of Kotha village also complained that former chief minister Pervez Khattak inaugurated the gas supply project but it was not completed.

Iftikhar Khan of the area said that government should provide gas to the people on priority basis because the court had directed it to do so. “No more delay is acceptable to the people,” he added.

The villager said that in the past PTI blamed the PML-N government for delay in provision of gas to them. “Now PTI has formed government at federal level, so it should fulfil the promise,” they said.

They said that PTI leaders would face the wrath of people if they failed to deliver.

An official of SNGPL, when contacted, said that survey in various localities was underway but provision of the gas would take some time.

The local leaders of PTI said that difficult task was initiation of work on the project. They said that they were monitoring the activities of SNGPL.

PTI district president Anwar Haqdad said that natural gas would be provided to every village.

ARRESTED: Police claimed to have arrested three robbers, who were involved in incidents of looting people at gunpoint at night.

The arrested persons were identified as Zakriya, Mohsin Ali and Usman Khan, all residents of Asota village.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018