MANSEHRA: The residents and their elected representatives in local bodies on Saturday took to the streets against the shortage of water in Mansehra city and its suburbs.

“The Tehsil Municipal administration has failed to launch any new water supply scheme for the last almost two decades and the underground water table dropped significantly,” chairman-elect of the Mohallah Khanbahadar neighbourhood council Abdul Waheed told protesters.

The rally was taken out from Mohallah Khanbahadar and ended outside the press club after marching on different roads.

The protesters held banners and placards and shouted slogans against the tehsil municipal administration over ‘failure to address water shortage’.

Mr Waheed complained that the TMA and local lawmakers hadn’t taken the people’s misery caused by water crisis during hot summer days seriously.

He warned that the residents would stage street protests after one week.

PM VISIT: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Mansehra city today (Sunday) with his party, PML-N, planning to accord him a warm welcome.

“Shehbaz Sharif is coming to Hazara division for the first time after assuming the office of the prime minister, so the residents, especially Mansehra’s, will roll out the red carpet for him,” PML-N parliamentary leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Mohammad Yusuf told reporters at Thakara Stadium on Saturday.

He examined arrangements for the public meeting to be addressed by the prime minister.

PML-N leader retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, his elder brother and MNA, Mohammad Sajjad Awan, and other PML-N leaders also visited the venue.

MNA Sajjad said the prime minister was likely to announce mega development projects for the district besides the revival of those scrapped by the last PTI-led federal government.

FLOUR PRICE: The residents have complained about soaring wheat flour price here.

“A 20kg flour bag is selling for Rs1,600 against the recent rate of Rs1,400 due to the Punjab government’s ban on wheat and flour transportation to our province,” owner of a general store Mohammad Shehzad told reporters on Saturday.

He feared a further increase in flour price.

Another resident, Mohammad Ajmal, demanded of the provincial government to control flour rate.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2022