SHANGLA: A windstorm blew away rooftops of six houses, triggered collapse of boundary walls, knocked down signboards, uprooted trees and disrupted power supply to different areas of Shangla on Tuesday night.

The strong winds started a week ago and turned menacing on Tuesday night, playing havoc in Bisham city, Kormang and other adjoining localities.

Yousaf Khan, a local, said rooftop of his house was blown away by strong winds on Tuesday night, however, the inmates remained unhurt. He said the gale also caused collapse of the boundary wall of his house.

Wadood, another local, said boundary wall of his house collapsed.

Bakh Zeb, a resident of Butyal, said a tree fell on a high transmission line of electricity near the government girls middle school, disrupting power supply. Signboards of several shops in Bisham city were also blown away.

Meanwhile, poets from across Shangla recited their verses at a poetry session held in Alpuri on Wednesday. Deputy commissioner Imran Hussain Ranjha was the chief guest at the poetry session titled Storee da Shangla (the stars of Shangla).

The poets recited their poems on different topics, including peace, love, prosperity and beauty of Shangla, and got applause from the audience. At the end, appreciation certificates were distributed among the poets.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2019