ELECTRICITY TEASES LANDI KOTAL

ELECTRICITY TEASES LANDI KOTAL

The weather is hot and humid. Daily activities are getting tougher. The people of Landi Kotal Khyber Agency are desperate to see electricity back. It has been over 18 days since the electricity got annoyed as heavy rains and storm crashed down a few of its poles.

The people of Landi Kotal like other Tribal areas do not pay electricity bills as these areas had been declared "Tax Free Zones" both by the British Govt and Quaid-e-Azam later on. The people of the settled areas always point fingers at Tribal people due to reason. But they don't know how often does electricity exist practically in these areas? The people of the Tribal areas buy Transformers, wires and other essentials by themselves of the restoration of electricity. The amount they pay at the time of installment is much more than the bills the people of settled areas pay in at least 10 years. In winter season electricity load shedding exceeds 16 hours and in summer season it remains round about 15 hours. In the absence of electricity, gas or oil cost them 100 times more than the electric bill as all works are being carried out by gas or oil. There is no direct gas supply to the Tribal areas but gas cylinders are used instead.

The electricity system has been out of order for the last 20 days or so in Landi Kotal. The people have done their utmost but the Govt is yet to take any serious measures due to which the local people are sparing a life in a Hell. The biggest problem which is being caused by the shortage of electricity is the shortage of water. People travel for long and for hours to fetch pure water. The hot weather is helping the shortage of water in causing some life threatening diseases like Malaria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis, Diarrhea etc.The people are suffering a lot and life is getting difficult in Landi Kotal.

Blaming the Tribals for Terrorism has become a fashion of the higher authorities but there is no one to pay attention to their basic problems. The people of Landi Kotal are striking hard for the restoration of electricity but who knows how many more days would be required for the restoration of the electricity poles.

Writer: BILAL KHAN AFRIDI