CHITRAL, July 31: Power supply to the city and its adjacent villages was disconnected here the other day when the gushing water of swollen Chitral river uprooted three electricity poles at Juti Lusht near the grid station.

The local people told this correspondent that the rising river water was hitting the electric poles for the last one month, but the Wapda authorities did not take any preventive or shift these poles to appropriate place. Ahmed Ali, a resident of Juti Lusht village located near Chitral city, said that a timely action could have averted the disconnection of the city from the national grid for at least two weeks.

He said that the local people had informed the relevant authorities on phone, but they failed to make any arrangements and now the people would have to put up without electricity, as restoration of supply by erecting the fallen poles could take two weeks.

POSTINGS: Transfers and postings of many teachers and administrative staff of education department were ordered here on Saturday.

Executive district officer (education) Siraj Mohammad claimed that all the postings were made on merit. Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, he said that the department had been purged of corruption and some of the clerical staff working on the same posts for the last 20 years had been reshuffled.

Answering a question, he said that the political parties, including the elected representatives, had supported him by not interfering in the department's affairs.