LAKKI MARWAT: The residents of Dharaka Aziz Khan have asked the government to allocate funds for repairing broken roads and solve the problem of shortage of drinking water in the rural localities.

During a khuli kutcheri convened by Deputy Commissioner Jehangir Azam Wazir the other day, they said that that the entire rural area was backward.

“Along with broken roads infrastructure the local residents are faced with acute shortage of drinking water,” an elder said. He said that dilapidated condition of road had cut off the villages and hamlets from rest of the district.

The elder said that taking patients to hospitals in Tajori, Lakki and Naurang towns was difficult for them owing to dilapidated condition of roads.

“The only basic health unit in the area is non-functional and also lacks lifesaving medicines,” said another elder. He said that the health facility also lacked doctors and paramedics.

The elders said that there was no primary school for girls in the area. “Villagers avoid sending their daughters to schools located in other localities”, they said.

They said that the old building of government higher secondary school for boys needed repair and reconstruction. They asked the deputy commissioner to direct irrigation department to ensure provision of water to the lands located at the tail end of Marwat canal.

They also demanded setting up a police post in the rural area to control crimes and improve law and order situation.

The elders said that rural localities were without electricity.

They deputy commissioner told the villagers that administration was committed to resolving their problems. He said repair of road would be included in district development plan.

Mr Wazir said that work on solar-powered water supply scheme in Dharaka Fateh Khan village was accelerated and it would be made functional next month.

He said that power related problems would be resolved in a joint meeting of local elders and officials of district administration and Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

They deputy commissioner directed the officials of education department to expedite the process for establishment of a girls’ primary school and reconstruction of old building of higher secondary school.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020