Heavy taxes in power, gas bills: Angry protesters block Mardan-Malakand road

TAKHTBHAI: The residents and traders in Takhtbhai city and adjoining towns and villages on Tuesday blocked the Mardan-Malakand road to protest the heavy taxes and inflated electricity and gas bills.

Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides after a large number of protestors staged a sit-in on the busy Mardan-Malakand road and blocked it for all kinds of traffic. The passengers, patients and general public faced great hardships due to blockade of the road.

The protestors burnt the electricity and gas bills and chanted slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.

Addressing the protestors, Pakistan People’s Party activist Irfan Khan Mohmand, Maulana Qaiseruddin of the Jmaiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Sher Mama, traders’ leader Khalid Khan and others said that Pesco and SNGPL were sending inflated bills to the consumers with heavy taxes, including general sales tax, quarter tariff, fuel price adjustment tax and others, which had crippled the poor people.

They said the residents were forced to pay heavy utility bills while the unprecedented price-hike and inflation had ruined the common man.

They also blasted the incumbent government for rising prices of petroleum products to waive off taxes in power and gas bills or else they would not pay the bills.

The protesters later opened the road for traffic after the administration assured them of a solution to their problems.