KARAK: The district administration has asked the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) to provide gas facility to the people living within the five kilometres limit of the oil and gas reserves.

The directives to this effect were given by additional deputy commissioner, Karak, Naeemullah Khan to OGDCL regional coordinator Mushfiq Hameed Paracha.

In this regard, the ADC chaired a meeting in his office here which was attended by Mr Paracha, Karak tehsil nazim Haji Abdul Wahab and elders and tehsil councillor from Janderi union council where the oil and gas reserves had been discovered.

The elders complained that over 18 localities within five-kilometre limit of the oil and gas reserves in Nashpa area were without gas facility. They argued that the country’s Constitution guaranteed gas facility to them, but they were deprived of the same for the last eight years.

The elders also complained about the shortage of health and education facilities and drinking water.

The OGDCL official said that the company had started a drinking water scheme which would resolve water issue of the local people.

The Karak ADC asked Mr Paracha to ensure establishment of an allergy center in Nashpa block and supply of gas facility to the local people. He also directed for provision of medicines to the local health centre on monthly basis.

TWO SUFFER BURNS: A woman and her son suffered burn injuries in a gas leak explosion in Karak city. They were taken to a hospital in Peshawar in precarious condition.

Police sources and residents told this scribe that the blast occurred when wife of Shah Alam, a resident of Karak city, lit a matchstick when the room was filled with gas.

As a result of fire, the room collapsed and the woman and her son suffered burn injuries. The fire brigade extinguished the fire after quite some time and the local people retrieved the two from debris of the room.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2019