KOHAT: The enraged protesters stormed the local office of Pesco, broke the furniture and burnt the official record in Happy Valley area here on Thursday.

The people continued protest against the prolonged power loadshedding on the fourth consecutive day. They entered the office and started beating up the superintendent and other clerical staff of Pesco. The SDO was not present in his office at the time as it was early morning.

The unruly mob including men, women and children, who were demanding respite from the 22 hours long loadshedding in Jungle Khel area and installation of a transformer, alleged that Pesco officials were making false promises with them. The entire record of the office was burnt but luckily nobody was injured in the incident. The Pesco officials left the office when they failed to control the protesters. The protesters turned down repeated requests of Pesco officials about not ransacking the office.

The cantonment police reached the scene after some time and dispersed the angry protesters by firing in the air and holding negotiations with them.

Beat staff, break furniture and burn official record

On Wednesday, the women protesters had burnt tyres on KDA-City main road and forcibly taken a transformer which was installed in Shirin Mela by Pesco. On Thursday they wanted the faulty transformer replaced in Chakar Mela area of Jungle Khel which had been delayed by the SDO urban for more than a week.

The protest turned violent as Pesco staff had promised them that duration of loadshedding in the area would be reduced, however, the promise was not fulfilled. The people of the area had appealed to the chairman of board of directors of Pesco, Eng Malik Asad, who belongs to Kohat, to review his orders of carrying out 22 hours loadshedding. They said that all the consumers were not power thieves and Pesco should keep it in mind while resorting to power cuts for such a long duration.

They said that there was acute shortage of water in the area because water pumps could not be run owing to power loadshedding. When electricity was restored its voltage was so low that it could not run refrigerators, they said, adding that men and children spent the whole night in the city and Bona Baba natural springs.

The protesters said that they brought cold water in buckets for drinking and washing purpose. No case was registered against the protesters till filing of this report.

SECURITY PLAN: Police have finalised security plan for the cantonment board elections in Kohat, to be held on April 25, 2015.

Duty has been assigned to riots police, elite force and bomb disposal squads while some routes leading to the polling stations have been blocked and ban has been imposed on carrying arms.

The elections would be held on Saturday next for 215 cantonment board seats for which 10 polling stations have been set up. There will be separate polling stations for men and women.

The polling for ward-I would be held at Federal Government Public School and FG College for Women. Polling for ward-II will be held at PAF Junior Section School and Government Girls High School, Behzadi Chakarkot while Cantonment Board School No.2 has been made polling station for ward-III.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

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