MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz central senior vice-president and MNA Sardar Mohammad Yusuf on Tuesday claimed he had taken up the issue of extended and unplanned power outages in the Hazara Division with the federal government for corrective measures.

He told reporters here that Mansehra and other parts of Hazara Division had recorded prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding, but the water and power minister had promised him effective resolution of the issue.

A delegation led by Mr Yusuf that included former district nazim Sardar Said Ghulam and Wapda hydroelectric union chairman Jamil Tanoli, met with federal water and power minister Owais Ahmad Leghari and informed him about the persistent power outages in Hazara Division amid scorching heat.

Mr Yusuf said the excessive power suspension troubled over 0.7 million electricity consumers in the region.

He said almost all residents of Hazara Division paid electricity bills and that they’re not involved in power theft but even then, they’re subjected to prolonged power cuts.

SCHOOL GUTTED: A government primary school for girls was gutted by a big fire in the Karori Bala area of Oghi tehsil here.

However, no damage to human life was reported.

The fire broke out in an adjacent forest before spreading in the school. No one was hurt as students, teachers, and other staff members weren’t present in the building, according to district police officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur.

He told reporters that the fire destroyed classrooms, furniture and records.

The residents complained that the fire squad of Rescue 1122 didn’t reach the place due to difficult terrain, so they extinguished the fire by themselves with water.

The DPO said he had ordered an investigation into the incident and sent the Oghi SHO to the Karori Bala area to trace culprits.

All Primary Teachers Association president Sher Afzal Tanoli said the government should launch a crackdown on those behind such incidents, which were destroying flora and fauna on a large scale.

Mr Tanoli said students, teachers and other staff members left the premises before the fire erupted.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2024