SHANGLA: People of Shangla district have demanded of the government to decrease the prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and firewood so that they could use them for cooking and heating purposes.

They said that in the absence of Sui gas facility the local people usually used firewood and LPG for cooking and warming their houses in winter.

However, they regretted that the KP forest department had banned cutting of trees for domestic use as well as other purposes, causing difficulties for the local people. They said that the recent hike in prices of LPG has added to their miseries.

“With the advent of winter the price of 15kg cylinder of LPG has shot up to Rs2,150 from its earlier price of Rs1,700.

I visited a firewood stall, but was shocked to learn about the high prices of firewood,” said Rehmat Ali, a local resident.

He said that firewood was being sold at Rs650 per 50kg against its last year’s price of Rs400. “I am a daily wager and could not afford buying firewood at such a high price,” he said.

Altaf Khan, another resident, said that prices of almost all daily use commodities had gone up since the PTI assumed power, which had been affecting the poverty-stricken people.

He feared that firewood shortage could hit some parts of the district, including Bisham city, as some of the firewood sellers had left the business due to price hike and ban imposed by the forest department.

Nasib Zada, an LPG vendor, told this scribe that the gas prices were likely to go further up because of increased use of LPG in cold weather.

The local people have demanded of the government to announce decrease in the prices of LPG and firewood.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2019