Bashir Hussain Azad
CHITRAL: Residents of Laspur Valley have called for compensation for damage caused to farmland, crops, fruit trees and irrigation channels during construction of the Shandur Road.
Former village council nazim and Honorary Lieutenant Sher Azam Khan, retired Subedar Major Qalandar Shah, Mir Bacha Khan Zar Qubad and Zar Ahmad Khan made the demands during a press conference at the Chitral Press Club.
They presented a resolution adopted at a joint meeting of residents and representatives of Laspur Valley held recently at the residence of Sardar Ahmad Khan Yaftali.
The speakers expressed gratitude to women reserved seat MNA Ghazala Anjum for taking notice of problems with mobile network services in Laspur. They said she had sent a team comprising her focal person and PML-N Chitral Lower General Secretary Muhammad Kausar Advocate, Tehsil President Khawaja Imtiaz Hussain, Upper Chitral General Secretary Prince Sultan-ul-Mulk, Information Secretary Zakir Zakhmi, Labour Wing Upper Chitral President Fazlur Rehman and Farooq Wali to assess the situation.
They said the team’s visit and efforts had helped resolve the mobile network problem to some extent.
The representatives also praised Ghazala Anjum’s role in Chitral’s development despite being not an elected MNA. They credited her with contributing to projects including the Lowari Approach Road, Shandur Road, roads in the Kalash valleys and the construction of Daanish Schoo in Chitral.
They appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give Ghazala Anjum greater authority and allocate special funds so that problems in remote areas of Chitral could be addressed at the local level.
The residents presented several demands, including the immediate activation of fibre-optic service in Laspur and installation of a new Telenor tower at Harchin Lasht.
They also demanded that Laspur be connected to the PESCO grid to address prolonged electricity shortages that have affected children’s education and local businesses.
The representatives also called for expediting the process of establishing a National Bank branch in the valley.
Regarding the Shandur Road project, they said agricultural land, crops, fruit-bearing trees and irrigation channels from Shai Das to Sor Laspur Shapir Mari had suffered extensive damage during construction.
They demanded the formation of a special committee to reassess the losses and ensure immediate compensation for affected residents.
The speakers said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s contributions to Chitral were well known and expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They also hoped that the federal government would continue its support for the people of Laspur Valley.