KARAK: The women of Sraykhwa, Mechar Banda and adjacent localities here the other day forcibly stopped the personnel of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited from removing gas connections, saying they should be provided legal connections, otherwise they would continue to use the utility illegally.

The personnel of SNGPL led by in-charge operations Aamir Yasin had reached the area for carrying out operation against illegal gas connections on Monday, but the local women came out of their houses and stopped them from carrying out the action.

The locals said that the SNGPL staff threatened the women with consequences, which infuriated them to the point that they forcibly stopped the officials from disconnecting their connections.

The women argued that they belonged to the oil and gas producing union council of Jandri and that they had not been provided legal gas facility. They said that until they were provided legal gas facility they would take illegal connections.

Later, the SNGPL personnel lodged FIR against the local elders in the Karak police station, accusing them of stopping them from acting against illegal gas connections.

However, the elders said they were not even present at the time of the operation. They termed the FIR baseless and contrary to the ground realities.

BUDGET PRESENTED: District nazim Dr Umer Daraz Khattak presented the budget for fiscal year 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs5.61 billion on Tuesday.

Speaking at the budget session of the council, he said Rs750 million would be spent on development schemes, while Rs4.56 billion would be earmarked for non-development expenditures.

TWO KILLED: Members of a rival group opened indiscriminate fire on Wahidullah in Shnawa Nusrati area of Takht-i-Nusrati on Tuesday, killing him on the spot, police said.

The firing also injured two passers-by, Noor Shahid and Amjad Khan. They were shifted to hospital, where doctors pronounced Shahid dead.

The police registered a case and started investigations.

Also, a man identified as Arifullah of Gardi Banda area was injured when his rivals opened fire on him over a land dispute. The police registered the case.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2019