CHITRAL: DPO Sonia Shamroze Khan held the first khuli kutcheri in Arandu village to ascertain the issues faced by the residents of the area where law and order situation remained volatile due to its proximity with Afghanistan.

She issued directives for solution of a number of problems faced by the villagers on the occasion. She assured them of forwarding their proposals to the higher authorities for improvement of law and order situation in the area.

The DPO also sought cooperation of local elders in nabbing proclaimed offenders wanted by Chitral police in a number of heinous crimes. The local elders assured her of their full support.

DEMAND: Former member of district council from Oveer valley, Advocate Islam Akbaruddin, has demanded of the government to restore the building of the sole basic health unit in the area consisting of more than 5,000 households.

Talking to local journalists in Chitral Press Club the other day, he said all the rooms of the building had not been used since long as a result of which the healthcare facility was closed down and the doctor shifted to tehsil headquarters hospital in Booni.

He regretted that the collapse of the rooms started soon after the earthquake of 2016 but health department did not take any action to restore the building. He said that during the last four years, all the rooms of the BHU developed cracks and eventually it had to be closed.

The former councillor said that the only primary healthcare facility in Oveer was closed down in the PTI government, which always boasted of giving top priority to the health sector.

He said that hardly two per cent of the population of the area could afford to take their patients to the nearest healthcare facility in Booni or Lower Chitral due to rampant poverty in the area.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2021