SWABI, Aug 23: Chota Lahor was granted tehsil status in 1988, but it still lacks basic facilities due to negligence of successive governments and parliamentarians elected from the area.

Residents recall that the warm relations between former provincial governor Lt-Gen Fazle Haq and then provincial minister Sher Zaman Sher played a key part in winning tehsil status for Chota Lahor. However, since then nothing much has changed as far as solution of people’s problems and general development of the area is concerned.

The tehsil judicial building is in a pathetic condition and lacks drinking water and lavatories. Wilayat Khan, Lahor Bar Association’s president, said that the entire judicial area is without a boundary wall.

“We have been meeting district administration officers and elected representatives from time to time and appealing them to construct the wall for ensuring security to the officers and lawyers, but there is no response as yet,” Mr Khan said. Besides, there is no waiting room for women visiting the courts.

Ijaz Khan, general secretary of the bar, said that the government had not yet opened a branch of National Bank of Pakistan in Chota Lahor. Retired government employees say that they have to visit the district headquarters for getting their pension and wait for hours. “Each retired employee needs a day or two to get his pension,” said Rawaiz Khan.

There is no playground in the entire tehsil and children usually play in streets or in open fields. The tehsil has enough land for building playgrounds or a stadium, but there seems no political will on part of the government to take such an initiative.

“We need playgrounds to promote games and engage our youth in healthy activities,” said Mohammad Ayaz.

People of Chota Lahor say that Awami National Party is not sincere in promotion of local games otherwise it would have not hoodwinked masses with mere slogans. They also showed dissatisfaction with the health facilities in the tehsil, complaining about staff shortage in hospitals and lack of proper medical facilities.

Majority of people say that their public representatives are responsible for the entire mess and they should not repeat the mistake of re-electing them. They say that a few affluent families have been provided Sui gas, while politicians continue to dodge them on the issue.

Added to all this, frequent power loadshedding and water shortage are common problems.