LANDI KOTAL: Scores of residents of Ali Masjid in Jamrud tehsil blocked the Peshawar-Torkham Highway on Friday for nearly two hours to protest prolonged electricity loadshedding in their area.

Led by local leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, the protesters took to the main road after Friday prayers as announcements were made on loudspeakers of the mosques, urging people to join the protest.

Traffic on the main road remained suspended during the protest demonstration, while the protesting tribesmen chanted slogans against the officials of Tribal Areas Electricity Supply Company for subjecting them to over 20 hours of power suspension daily.

They accused the Tesco officials of supplying uninterrupted electricity to steel units in Jamrud by accepting illegal money from them, while depriving domestic consumers of their legitimate share in the electricity supply. The said residents of Ali Masjid, Shahgai and Rekiyalai were the worst affected by prolonged loadshedding.

The road blockade was lifted only with an assurance from local administration about curtailing the duration of loadshedding in next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the local government department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday provided two vehicles and trash disposal containers to sanitation staff of Landi Kotal Bazaar.

The local sanitation staffers were facing difficulties in removing trash from the bazaar due to lack of vehicles and equipment.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2020