Unbearable loadshedding, delay in construction of road: Angry people in KP governor’s hometown block Indus Highway for hours

PESHAWAR: Fed up with unbearable loadshedding particularly after the rise in temperature and dilapidated condition of the main Indus Highway, the people of the native town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman on Tuesday took to the streets and blocked the highway for all kind of traffic for at least five hours.

The blockade of the main road that connects the provincial metropolis with southern districts of the province and rest of the country caused serious problems for commuters during the scorching heat.

Several kilometers-long queues of vehicles were seen on the road. The people of various villages of the former assembly constituency of the governor had gathered at the main junction – Saifan Chowk. They burnt tyres and put blocks and logs on the road to stop flow of traffic. They were so charged that they didn’t care about the sizzling heat.

The protestors were chanting slogans against the government for its failure to ensure smooth supply of electricity. They were also complaining about the delay in construction of the road, which has made life miserable for the people.

The road from Saifan Chowk until Matani, an approximately 15-kilometer strip, has been under construction for the last three years. The old road has been dug out and new one is yet to be constructed. Apart from making the journey of motorists miserable, the worst condition of the road has resulted in sharp rise in road accidents. Every day one sees long loaded vehicles turned turtle at different locations of the road. A number of vehicles collide on daily basis in which precious lives are lost. But the authorities have been unable to expedite construction of the road and overcome the miseries of the people.

Besides, loadshedding is a perpetual problem faced by the people of these villages located in Peshawar district. Power is supplied to the people of these areas for few hours. Most of the time power supply remains suspended for days and even weeks in these areas.

The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco)’s authorities believe that the people of these areas are involved in power theft, which is why power is not supplied to them smoothly.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Fazle Elahi Khan and Salahuddin Khan of Awami National Party (ANP) also visited the protestors. They continued talks with the Pesco authorities and assured the people they would sort the problem out.

After hours long deliberation, they reached a consensus with the XEN Pesco, under which some more transformers would be shifted to the area to resolve the problem. The road was reopened for traffic after around five hours of blockade. It took another several hours to clear the road, which had been locked completely.