MANSEHRA, Jan 31: More than 1,000 deserving families in the remote Jabber Davlee area have alleged that they been deprived of financial assistance under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

“We not only lack basic amenities but often have to remain without food because of poverty. The poverty survey was conducted under BISP early last year but despite that we are deprived of the financial assistance meant for poor and deserving women,” Rukhtaj Bibi, a resident of the area, told journalists here on Tuesday.

A group of women from Khattabala area of Jabber Davlee, headed by former councillor Raja Malik Aman, Rukhtaj Bibi and Rukia Bibi, told journalists that at initial stage local lawmakers did not provide them BISP forms. They said that the families affected by the October 8, 2005 earthquake were ignored by the government in BISP. They said many women, who had lost their husbands in the earthquake, were deprived of the financial assistance under BISP.

They demanded of President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and BISP chairman Farzana Raja to provide financial assistance to poor women of Jabbar Davlee so they could live an honourable life.

PROTEST: Hundreds of people took to streets to protest over-billing in the month of January by Peshawar Electric Supple Company.

The people of Khawari, Karar, Mohayian and city areas gathered outside the office of Pesco chief engineer to protest what they called issuing of inflated utility bills by Pesco without getting meter reading.

Speaking on the occasion Mohazam Shah, Mohammad Nizakat and others said that the meter readers were not getting reading of electricity meters and were including extra units in the bills. They threatened to block Karakoram Highway if their inflated electricity bills were not corrected.

A Pesco official, when contacted, said that fuel adjustment arrears were included in the January’s bills as that could not be included earlier.

TWO INJURED: Two persons were injured in separate incidents here on Monday night, however, one of them succeeded to catch a robber.

Police said that Karamatullah Khan was on his way back to Dangri in the night after closing his shop. A man held him at gunpoint and asked him to hand over cash and other valuables to him when he reached near his house, they added.

Mr Khan put up resistance, police said, adding people gathered and arrested the robber identified as Shahkarullah. The arrested man was handed over to police. In another incident unidentified men deprived Sahir Shah, a tractor driver, of cash, cellular phone and other valuables. In another incident Mohammad Sawan fired at Mohammad Ibrahim over unknown reason and fled the scene.