Charged residents uproot electricity poles in ChakdarraOur correspondent

Row over new feeder

CHAKDARRA: The row between the local people and district administration over the establishment of a new feeder to provide electricity from Chakdarra gridstation to Shamozai village in Swat district has intensified as the residents uprooted the electricity poles installed for the purpose.

The decision to uproot the electricity poles was taken during a jirga of representatives of Adenzai Qaumi Jirga, Talash Islahi Jirga and Malakand jirga held with Member Provincial Assembly belonging to the Qaumi Watan Party Bakht Baidar in the chair.

Local elders Khursheed Ali Khan, Hussain Shah Yousafzai, Wasil Khan, Qaiser Khan, Azizullah, Rahimullah, representatives of Talash Islahi jirga including Dr Noor Muhammad, Ibrahim Khan, Taj Muhammad and president of Malakand Trade Union Shakirullah Khan, former provincial minister Shah Raz Khan, tehsil nazim Qamar Zaman Khan and others attended the jirga.

The participants said that a new feeder was being established at the Chakdarra gridstation to provide electricity to Shamozai village.They said the gridstation was already overloaded and providing electricity from it to Shamozai would further deteriorate the situation.

They said the dwellers of Lower Dir district and Malakand Agency had reservations over the development. They said the move had caused concern among the residents of Adenzai. They suggested the government to speed up the uplift work on a gridstation in Barikot area in Swat and provide electricity from the facility to Shamozai.

Later, the representatives and charged residents started uprooting the electricity poles that were erected for laying the transmission line.However, they stopped doing so on the intervention of Assistant Commissioner Shah Mansoor and Deputy Superintended of Police (DSP) Jehangir Khan.

The officials assured the people to take up the issue with the relevant authorities.The charged mob dispersed on the assurance of the said officials but threatened to take to streets again if the Water and Power Development Authority resumed work on the project without taking them into confidence on the issue.   

Meanwhile, MPA Bakht Baidar and District Naib Nazim Adenzai have expressed concern over the withdrawal of security to them.Bakht Baidar said the administration had withdrawn security to them despite the fact that he had been attacked by militants several times. “The militants in the past had attacked my hujra and killed my brother and six others. The administration would be held responsible if I or any member of my family is harmed by militants,” said the lawmaker.