KOHAT: The residents of posh KDA Township here on Friday demonstrated outside the office of the project director against blocked sewerage lines, absence of a mosque, streetlights and security cameras.

Speaking on the occasion, Noor Islam, president of the KDA association, said there was no deployment of police in the posh locality. He said the people had built houses in the township with the hope of availing better living conditions, but there were no paved streets, the area remained under pitched darkness after evening and rainwater stood on roads and entered houses due to blocked drains.

He said a few days ago a bank was looted in the broad daylight due to absence of police in the area.

Noor Islam pointed out that under an agreement the buyers of plots had to start constructions within three years, but officials’ apathy was lingering the process for decades. He also alleged that officials were involved in the sale of plots.

He said often the residents found no official present in the KDA offices to facilitate them in resolving their issues.

Retired Captain Ayub said he had migrated from Karak in 2007 in the hope of getting better facilities and education for his children in the KDA Township, but to no avail. Regrettably, the so-called posh town lacks a mosque, he said, adding the administration should allocate at least one kanal of land for construction of a mosque.

He said that construction of a mosque in every sector was responsibility of the administration. He said street dogs and even boars roamed the streets after evening.

Farooq Ahmed, another resident, complained that there was no proper drainage and sewerage system in the area, which also lacked a mechanism to keep it clean. He said pipelines laid some 25 years ago had become obsolete and needed immediate replacement.

The protesting residents said there was no police mobile or patrolling in the area. They said incidents of mobile theft and purse snatching were rampant after the evening.

Project director, Eng Khan Azad Wazir, said a board had been constituted to approve funds for installation of security cameras and streetlights.

Pir Asghar Ali Shah, another relevant official, told Dawn that under rules a plot stood cancelled if construction on it could be started within three years.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2020