F.P. Report
MARDAN: The residents of Gulibagh area on Friday held protest demonstration on Shamsi road against the price hike of electricity which has caused an unprecedented burden on the pocket of common man.
They blocked the main Shamsi road for all kind of traffic for several hours and were chanting slogans against the WAPDA officials and government. Raising electricity bills in their hands, the protestors who were mostly belonged to poor and meddle class, blamed that the WAPDA officials had charged them about 300 to 400 exrtra units in their electricity bills.
Besides, the protesters also alleged that the government had made a big increase in prices of electricity per unit, while on the other hand their financial condition was going down by each passing day due to skyrocketing price-high which had made them unable to eveb pay their genuine electricity bills. The protestors stressed the government and authorities concerned to not only stop sending overbilling but also take immediate to reduce prices of per unit to a great extent.
Also, in the day, the city Mayor Himayatullah Mayar held a meeting with the top officials of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to discuss the issues related to overbilling and excessive electricity bills. On the occasion, Mr. Himayatullah Mayar expressed that the sudden increase in electricity prices has further exacerbated the issues of the people, and the electricity bills, whether for households or businesses, had gone beyond the affordability of the public. He stated that the excessive load shedding during the severe heat had greatly troubled the people and had caused them sorrow and anger.
He urged the WAPDA authorities to bring about a reduction in the unplanned load shedding and also mentioned the difficulty for the poor people to afford two meals a day during this inflationary period, along with the added burden of high electricity bills. Mayor Mardan stressed on the occasion to eliminate load shedding and resolve the issues of low voltage in various areas. He also called for initiatives to improve transformers. He mentioned that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces more electricity than needed but does not have the authority over its distribution.
Similarly, the province does not have control over gas distribution, and despite this, the province is provided with insufficient gas, causing more pressure. “Electricity is purchased at 1 rupee per unit From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sold at 50 rupees per unit, which is entirely unjust and unfair” he added. He also mentioned as per Article 158 of the Constitution, the province that generates resources should have the first right over those resources.
However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has no control over electricity or gas. During the meeting, WAPDA officials expressed their views that where electricity theft is high and recovery is low, less electricity is provided. They requested full cooperation from the police and the public in curbing electricity theft and improving recovery.
Workshop on technical education held: Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (MCCI) German Institute for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority organized a joint workshop. In which (GIZ) Miss Ning-Yi-Mar of Germany, Miss Sabrina-gible, Faiz Muhammad, Engineer Abdul Maqsood of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, besides members of the Executive Committee of Mardan Chamber, Marble Association, Light Engineering, Flour Mills Association, Tobacco A large number of representatives attended.
