HARIPUR: A shepherd on Monday blamed his brother’s electrocution on the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and a private landowner.

Gul Parosh told reporters here that his brother, Kanay Khan, was electrocuted on May 11 as he grazed goats near Kachi Road, Noor Colony.

He said the incident was caused by 132kv low-hanging power lines. The shepherd said under the Pesco rules, the high transmission lines should be at least 30 feet above ground but those dangling lines were eight to nine feet above ground.

He said a local resident had filled his uneven land with earth for plotting and thus, causing the power lines to hang near the ground.

The shepherd said a minor boy was electrocuted in the area few months ago before his brother fell victim to the Pesco’s negligence. He complained that the police didn’t act on his complaint against Pesco and landowner. Besides the sought-after action, he also demanded compensation for the brother’s death.

Meanwhile, Pesco line superintendent in Haripur Shafiq Haider lodged a complaint with the police accusing Niaz and Miskeen of Noor Colony for filling the land beneath the electricity pylon and thus, reducing the distance between land and transmission lines. He insisted that the residents’ act caused the electrocution of two people. He demanded legal action against landowners.

HIGH-ACHIEVERS: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Abbottabad will announce the names of only top three position holders in the Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate examinations.

Referring to a decision of all chairmen of provincial BISEs made during a meeting held last week, acting chairperson of BISE Abbottabad Dr Shaista Irshad Khan told reporters here on Monday that against the previous practice, the board would notify overall top three positions and group wise positions of the candidates, who sat the SSC and FSC exams.

She said there would be no announcement of top 20 position holders this time around. “However, the National Talent Scholarship would be awarded to top 10 male and 10 female position holders in line with the high court’s verdict issued in 2010,” she said.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2019