SHANGLA: Nine people were injured when a speeding truck hit a passenger bus in the Maira area of Bisham tehsil here on Monday, police said.

Station house officer of the Dandai police station Mohammad Arif Khan told Dawn that the bus was en route to Rawalpindi from Gilgit.

He said bus driver Mushtaq Ahmad and another man, Hizbur Rehman, both residents of Dubair area in Kohistan region, were critically injured in the accident and were shifted to the Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad.

Mr Khan said the other injured passengers were shifted to the Bisham tehsil headquarters hospital by Rescue 1122.

He said the police had booked truck driver Zarin Zada of Batkot area in Bisham after registering a case against him under sections 279, 337, 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code and would produce him before a local court on Tuesday.

LOADSHEDDING: Bisham tehsil assistant commissioner Adnan Khan on Monday called for the recovery of dues from electricity consumers and eliminate power theft to do away with loadshedding.

He was addressing a jirga at his office, where sub-divisional officer of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company Saqibur Rehman, elders, political leaders and youth were in attendance.

People from Dandai, Maira and Batkot union councils demanded a reduction in loadshedding hours complaining power supply remains suspended for over 20 hours daily to their misery amid intense heat.

They assured authorities of help for the recovery of dues and the elimination of power theft.

The AC asked the Pesco officials to reduce loadshedding hours after dues’ recovery and said strict action should be taken against power theft and power supply to those not paying bills should be suspended.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2024