TIMERGARA: Water consumers in parts of Lower Dir on Friday threatened to hold protest against Public Health Engineering Department for sending them inflated bills if the same were not revised within next two months.

The consumers complained that PHED had sent them bill of Rs2,800-Rs3,500 instead of Rs720 each for the period of last six months.

Talking to mediapersons, they said that many residents had been visiting the offices of PHED executive engineer and SDO for correction of their bills for the last few days, but to no avail.

The users of Soghalay Qaziabad Talash water supply scheme, including Fateh Mohammad, Mohammad Raziq, Abdul Hadi and Mohammad Sadiq, said that they had been paying Rs120 as water bill per month. They said that there had been no outstanding amount against them, but the department had sent them a bill of Rs3,000 for six months.

When contacted, a PHED official said that amount of monthly bill had not been increased. He said that the department had Rs200 million arrears outstanding against the consumers and government departments. He said that the amount of arrears had been included the consumers’ bills and they would have to pay it.

PESCO WORKERS: The workers of Hydro Power Union, Lower Dir, have threatened to stop power supply to all parts of Malakand division if their colleagues in Jandol were transferred under political pressure.

The warning was given during a protest rally held at Munda here the other day. The protesting Pesco workers were addressed by union leaders Nasrullah and others.

They alleged that PTI MNA Bashir Khan was forcing the Pesco officers to transfer line superintendents from Samar Bagh and Maidan.

“A total of 500 seats are lying vacant in Pesco Dir division, which should be filled on merit,” Mr Nasrullah said.

KASHMIR ISSUE: A function was held in Balambat here on Friday where the speakers urged the world leaders to force India to stop human rights violations in held Kashmir.

It was chaired by assistant commissioner Mohammad Shah Jamil. Social and political activists and students attended the function.

The participants demanded of the UN and other organisations to take serious notice of human right violations in held Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2020