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SKARDU, Nov 8: The winter season in the Northern Areas has commenced prior to the usual time, bringing the temperature down to minus three degrees at the Celsius scale.
Majority of the population in the Northern Areas use wood to meet their fuel requirements and the residents cut trees in the winter season speeding up the deforestation.
It is high time, that the government should take appropriate steps to provide alternative facilities to the people.
The kerosene oil and liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, which are available in the down town markets, are out of the reach of the common people owing to the exorbitant rates.
The Karakoram Highway is the only source of road link with the rest of the country, but remains blocked due to land sliding for several days. At such times, the shortage of the fuel and daily commodities rules the roost.
The KKH was recently blocked again at Tato village near Chilas, due to land sliding followed by jolts of earthquake. Keeping in view the fear of the possible shortage of commodities and other goods, the people of Baltistan started to store the goods.
Some profiteers had created artificial shortage of flour, edible oil, rice, sugar and other goods, so that they could sell them at the peak time.
Shortage of the LPG cylinders had also become a daily routine in the area as they were already being sold at high rates as compared to the rest of the country.
Kerosene oil was also nearly absent from the market and was creating hardships as most of the people use it for cooking food and lanterns.
People of the area have demanded of the government to take immediate steps to solve their problems.
ARREST: The Skardu police have arrested a thief and recovered Rs250,000 from his possession.
Sources said that Riafat Khan, owner of the Akber Flour Mills, had registered an FIR with the police that Rs250,000 had been stolen from his house and expressed suspicion over his gate keeper who was absent from the duty at that time.
The police arrested Sher Afzal, resident of district Shangla, who was fleeing via Deosai road and recovered the money.
INTERNET: The students of the IT Centre here have demanded the extension of the internet facility to Baltistan.
The representatives of the students said that owing to the unavailability of the internet facility, they had to depend only on lectures.
They demanded of the government to provide internet facility to Baltistan like it did to the other districts of the country.
PIA FLIGHTS: The PIA flights from Islamabad to Skardu remained suspended for the last 20 days owing to the bad weather, PPI adds.
