BAJAUR: The residents of Yousafabad town of Khar tehsil here on Saturday blocked the main Khar-Mardan road to traffic to record their protest against the suspension of electricity in the area for the last four weeks.

Scores of people from different walks of life from Yousafabad and its adjacent areas attended the demonstration held at the local bazaar.

The angry protesters chanted slogans against the officials of Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) for the prolonged suspension of power supply in the region. They claimed that Yousafabad and its nearby areas were without power for the past several weeks.

They said that the power suspension in the area along the main Mardan road just three kilometres from Khar had been causing numerous problems for the residents, including shortage of drinking water.

Local political and social activists and traders, including Amjad Yousaf, Khan Wali and Fazal Khan, said that the prolonged absence of electricity in the harsh winter was a great injustice with the area residents.

The speakers alleged that the prolonged suspension might be an attempt of the Tesco officials to force the residents to install electricity meters at their homes and workplaces. They said that the officials should take them into confidence on the matter.

The residents ended the protest after a team of district administration officials assured them of resolving the issue on priority.

ACCIDENT: Five people suffered injuries in a road accident in Sheikh Kallay area of Khar tehsil here on Saturday.

An official of Rescue 1122 said that the accident occurred on Bajaur-Peshawar road when a passenger coach going to Peshawar hit a pickup van after failure of its brakes.

As a result, five coach passengers, including a woman, were wounded. The official identified them as Ashraf Khan, 60, Gran Khan, 50, Said Jan, 55, Sadaqat, 26, and the woman who were taken to the district headquarters hospital, Khar.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2022