Reopening of sealed stone crushing plants demanded

F.P. Report

SWABI: Owners of various stone crushing plants have criticized the selective approach of the provincial government by allowing some of them to operate their machines but the others have been remained sealed and did not permit to work.

Four days back, district administration have sealed all 29 plants here in the district and told the owners that they should immediately arrange no objection certificate (NoC) from Environmental Protecting Agency (EPA). The officials have warned the owners that they would keep their plants closed on the order of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government till getting the NoC from the environmental agency as required per rules.

Sources in district administration said that soon after the sealing the police have registered FIRs against the owners. Matasimbillah, Swabi Deputy Commissioner told that the FIRs have been registered on the directive of the DIG and the district administration had nothing with the registration of the reports.

The owners said that they contacted the officials of the district administration soon after confirming the operation of some of the plants and he assured them that there would no discriminatory approach. In contrast, despite their numerous complaints to the officials some of the plants allowed to operate have continued their work with complete focus. They had questioned the discriminatory approach of the government.

Naeem Khan, one of the owners said: “The discriminatory approach is not acceptable to us. We are also citizen of this country and we also wanted to earn our livelihood. We are struggling to get justice but got nothing and only injustice.” He mentioned some of the owners who were allowed to operate their plants while the other remained deprived.

The other owners expressed similar views and opposed the discriminatory policy of the government. They warned that if the government failed to give up the discriminatory policy they would be forced to adopt protest demonstration along the workers who earn their livelihood in different plants.

It has been learnt that the plants who were allowed to operate continued supply to under construction Swat Expressway, a project which Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf governments wants to complete on emergency basis. With complete stoppage of all plants work on the Swat Expressway would be crippled completely and it might not be completed as desired by provincial government.

Consumers demanded to improve internet services: The telephone consumers of Zaida city have demanded on Friday that the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL) should install fiber to resolve their internet and various other problems faced by them. They said that an old and outdated network of the PTCL in the Zaida city and its suburbs had created numerous problems for the consumers who usually remained in hot water while appealing and requested the staff concern to help them.

They said that they had acquired the telephone connections because they were of the view to facilitate their families and use the facility for various purposes. “Instead of enjoying the PTCL facility, we found ourselves in hot water,” said Muhammad Sohaib of the city. He said that along with local consumers, media people have not been able to fill their reports in time.