CHITRAL, May 10: Rech, the most neglected and remote area of Tor Khow valley, about 140 kilometres from Chitral town, is deprived of all basic amenities even in this modern era.
Fed up with the situation, the residents of the area held a protest rally under the auspices of Awami Insaf Committee (Public Justice Committee) the other day. Addressing the gathering, Mr Zulfiqar, the president of the committee, said Rech is the most neglected and backward area of tehsil Tor Khow. The condition of the road to the area is deplorable and there is no doctor, no electricity, telephone, college nor any other basic amenities here. Majority of the female students discontinue their education after passing matriculation examination in boys schools because there is no separate high school for them. Other speakers, including elites and social workers of the area, said the population of Rech was over 9,000 but they lived without any basic facilities. The road to the area passes through a treacherous mountain thousands of feet above the river with so many blind turns. In case of an accident, vehicles plunged into thousands of feet deep ravine and gorges. Three persons were killed in a road accident only last month. They said so many people have died during road accidents on this road because the road has no side walls or any parapet.
The residents said female teachers in the area never performed their duties honestly and hired proxies on a nominal wage putting the destiny of the students at stake. They said there was only one wheat (grain) warehouse in Rech but the staff there remained absent and they have also hired a shopkeeper who sells the commodity once a week. Some 165 bags of wheat have expire but they were still being sold to the consumers. They said now there were only 27 bags of wheat left for the whole population. The speakers said no developmental work had been done in the area since 1947. A female social activist Ms Amina said there is no lady nor male doctor in the whole valley and women patients were taken to hospitals in Booni or Chitral but due top absence of transport and poor road condition many of them died on the road. She said women faced great problems during their delivery because there is no lady doctor and no other facilities.
They said no head of government department had visited the remote and backward area nor any elected representatives paid a visit there. They only come only during the election time. They also criticized the food department for charging rupees 118 per bag of wheat which hardly weighed 25 kg. They said Benazir Income Support Program fund should be spent on food commodities and wheat should be provided to the area on subsidize rate. They demanded provision of all basic facilities in the area otherwise they will boycott the upcoming general elections. A large number of people belonging to all walks of life attended the protest public meeting.—G.H. Farooqui
]]>
