LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), June 25: Tribesmen on Sunday switched off the 132-kv grid station in Landi Kotal to register their protest against prolonged loadshedding and shortage of water in the area.

A large number of people gathered at the grid station in the morning after experiencing a sleepless night owing to power breakdowns on Saturday night.

They forced their entry into the main switch room and turned off the power supply, witnesses said.

Protesters removed the grid staff from their respective positions and locked the main gate. The grid station remained switched off for nearly three hours, while protesters blocked the main Peshawar-Torkhum highway at Walikhel for nearly one hour.

Wapda authorities have for the last three weeks subjected the area to frequent power shutdowns and low voltage of electricity.

The loadshedding has also resulted in the scarcity of water in the area and residents were compelled to fetch water from Ali Masjid and Landikhana natural water channels through private tankers at inflated rates.

The grid station seizure and road blockade was lifted after the intervention of local elders and political authorities.

The administration, while expressing dismay over the prolonged loadshedding in Landi Kotal, however, denied that the grid station was forcibly taken over by protesters.