KOHAT: State minister Sheharyar Afridi has said roads and water supply schemes worth Rs75 million have been approved for the PK-80 constituency and work on them will be initiated within weeks.

In a statement issued here on Friday, he urged the people to monitor the progress and quality of work on the schemes, and directed the public health engineering and communications and works departments to maintain quality of work. He said strict action would be taken against the relevant officials if quality work was not maintained.

He said he had approved Rs35 million for the Cheechana water supply scheme, adding a main pipeline and a tubewell had already been installed and work on an overhead tank and house connections would start soon.

Similarly, he said Rs14.1 million had been set aside for Warshand area of Sodal union council, adding funds had also been approved for Jarma and Zra Mela areas.

Mr Afridi said Kharmato road would be constructed at a cost of Rs11.4 million, Nakban Rs1.84 million, Bazid Khel with Rs8.14 million, and New Abadi Bilitang Rs2.46 million.

Meanwhile, the domestic consumers have asked the district administration to suspend gas supply to CNG stations from November to January and stop giving new connections until the grave issue of low gas pressure and loadshedding was resolved.

Talking to reporters on Friday, they said under law the residents of the production area had the foremost right over gas provision.

Noor Islam, a technical expert, told Dawn that the total production from regional oil fields was 430 mmcfd whereas the total requirement of the production areas was just seven mmcfd daily, but even then the localities were deprived of the facility.

He said low gas pressure and suspensions to domestic consumers was beyond understanding because CNG stations and textile mills were getting uninterrupted gas supply.

He said according to the constitution the production areas had the first priority over the natural resources.

Haji Abid Khan, president of grand business alliance, and Ameer Khan Afridi, chairman of Kohat Qaumi Tehreek, said the replacement of obsolete gas pipelines required billions of rupees. They said state minister Sheharyar Afridi was not taking the matter seriously.

They asked the minister to talk to the SNGPL high-ups for addressing the issue of low gas pressure.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2021