Via groundreport.com -CHITRAL: Residents of Chitral are facing great problems in the holy
month of Ramzan due to acute shortage of edible things and back broken
dearness of essential commodities. On arrival of this month the hoarders
and shopkeepers raised prices of essential edible things. While on the
other hand these things not available in Utility stores running under
government agency. As a result people of Chitral deprived from Ramzan
packages where these things are selling on subsidize rates in Utility
stores. There is no Date (Khurma), flour, Beesan, pulses, sugar and
other things in 24 utility stores of Chitral while on the other hand a
very poor class Date (Khurma) is selling @ 230 to 260 rupees per
kilogram in open market despite that Food department has fixed its rate
130 per KG only of first class date but there is no check and balance
in market. Chitral people suffering badly from dearness on one hand but
they also face great problems due to non scheduled load shedding of
electricity like before of Ramzan. The Pesco (Peshawar Electricity
Supply Company) exercising 12 to 16 hours continue load shedding in
different parts of the district despite that there is no shortage of
power supply but it seems that this is also a political game. The pesco
staff removing links of different transformers at 7. AM to 7 PM
(continue 12 hours) and people of rural areas can not sleep at day time
due to no electricity and sever hot weather. They were also allowed to
run diesel generator in this month to minimize load shedding but people
of the area are alleging that they running them for a very short period
and show long duration in papers just to earn money of diesel. Due to
climate change there is no rain of monsoon in Chitral and the district
is in grip of hot layer.
Potable drinking water also not available in different parts of
town area like Shahmirandeh, Singor, Balach etc. Water and Sanitation
Unit (WSU) supply water regularly only to Bazar area and officers colony
as well as government offices but residents of these villages who
deprived from water are paying their utility bills of water regularly
equally to those consumers (officers and influential segment) who
utilize drinking water for more than 16 hours. An Other shock able news
was erected for Chitral people when All Pakistan Contractor Association
boycotted from taking part in any tender of developmental works and they
also stopped ongoing works in the entire district. They are protesting
against the inhuman behavior of Executive Engineer of C&W department
Chitral Pir Muhammad. They alleged that million of rupees for category 2
hospital at Ayun and Girls Degree College Drosh were lapsed due to
negligence of the said XEN. They announced of suspending all
developmental works until posting out of XEN Pir Muhammad who is being
supporting by ANP ruling party in the province they alleged. Due to
this scenario work has also suspended on construction of Khan Abdul Wali
Khan By pass road as a result people of Chitral facing great problems.
Work on Lawari tunnel also has been suspended for the last three
years and SAMBU Construction Company has shifted their machinery to
other place. Residents of Chitral have appeal to Federal as well as
Provincial government and concern quarters for solving of their problems
by supplying essential edible things to utility stores of Chitral,
minimizing longest load shedding of electricity and assuming work on
developmental work at Chitral after posting of XEN Pir Muhammad so to
save fund from lapsing. They also appeal for providing of potable
drinking water to Shahmiran Deh, Singor, Balach, etc villages as well as
releasing fund for construction of Lawari tunnel to resume work on
this mega project.
http://www.groundreport.com/Business/Residents-of-Chitral-facing-great-problems/2940797