KOHAT, Jan 23 A large number of people, protesting against delay in provision of gas facility to their area, on Friday blocked the Kohat-Rawalpindi road in Gumbat by burning tyres.

The protesters, led by Gumbat Union Council Nazim Shakeel Haider, Maulan Sufwan and Khwaja Khan, chanted slogans against lawmakers from the area and the SNGPL for not providing gas facility to the region.

They said the main gas pipeline which provided gas to Punjab from the local Gurguri gas fields passed through the Gumbat area, but the local people were deprived of the facility.

Assistant Coordination Officer Manzar Ali Javed, SP (operations) Mohammad Arif and DSP Abdul Hayee arrived at the scene and negotiations with the protesters the road was opened for traffic after two-hour closure.

Mr Javed summoned a jirga of local elders and parliamentarians at his office on Jan 26 to discuss the matter and resolve it through talks.

UREA SHORTAGE Farmers could sow wheat only on half of their lands due to shortage of urea in the local market.

Kohat Farm Service Centre president Iftikhar Hussain said in a statement issued here on Friday that if urea was not provided to them on time their crops would be ruined.

He appealed to the authorities to ensure early provision of urea to farmers of southern districts of the NWFP to save their crops.