SWAT: Employees of different government departments here on Tuesday took to the streets against cut in firewood and charcoal allowance.

The All Government Employees Coordination Council, Swat district, had called the protest.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with different slogans, the protesters started marching from different parts of Mingora and gathered in front of the Swat Press Club.

Led by Ali Rehman, the council’s Swat chapter president, president of Class-IV employees’ body Syed Khattab, president of all Swat pensioners’ association Fazal Mabood Khan and representatives of other organisations addressed the gathering.

They said all government employees from grade 16 and above in the Malakand division were entitled to firewood for 120 days, and employees from grade 1 to 15 to charcoal during winter season.

They said employees would get firewood and charcoal in October each year, but the PTI government had stopped it. Afterwards, on employees’ demand the government fixed the allowance in their salaries, but at very low rate of Rs55 per day, through a finance department notification.

The protesters said as winter season usually remained harsh in the region the people needed good amount of firewood and charcoal to get through the severe weather.

The protesters said they had staged several protests and also met the lawmakers, who had promised increasing the firewood and charcoal allowance, but to no avail.

They demanded of the government to increase the allowance to at least Rs500 per day.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2022