SWABI: The electricity consumers here on Thursday staged a protest demonstration and sit-in against the fuel price adjustment (FPA) in power bills and demanded refund of the money charged under this head.

They said Tarbela Dam, a lifeline of the country’s electricity system, was built in Swabi district andthe government should withdraw FPA and give 50 per cent rebate in the bills to people of the district.

The call for protest was given by a welfare organisation Da Haq Awaz, Swabi.

The consumers gathered in the district headquarters and chanted slogans against the federal and provincial governments while demanding immediate removal of the FPA charges from the power bills.

The protesters were addressed at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk by their leaders during which traffic on Swabi-Mardan and other local roads remained suspended for hours.

“The government should exclude the fuel charges from the power bills as soon as possible,” the speakers stressed on the occasion.

Later, the protesters marched to the district office of Peshawar Electric Supply Company and staged a sit-in in front of its gates by blocking the Swabi-Jehangira road to traffic.

Addressing the protesters, Da Haq Awaz president Ihsanul Haq said the KP government was also responsible along with the federal government for putting unjust and huge financial burden on the consumers.

Wahid Shah, former Swabi tehsil nazim, said that the imposition of exorbitant FPA was unjust and the government should take steps for refunding the additional amount charged from the consumers.

The protesters dispersed when the district administration and Pesco officials led by assistant deputy commissioner Gohar Ali held talks with their representatives, including Mr Ihsan, and assured them that they would take all possible steps for resolving the consumers’ problems.

TRANSPORTERS PROTEST: The local transporters, including rickshaw drivers, staged a protest at Shewa Adda here on Thursday against the alleged unjust fines imposed daily on them by the traffic police.

Led by their district president Waqib Khan they parked their vehicles in the main chowk and blocked Swabi-Mardan road to traffic while demanding that the traffic police should give up imposing unjust fines on them.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2022