MANSEHRA: The survivors of the 2005 earthquake in Balakot red zone on Monday protested delay in the allotment of plots at the New Balakot City housing project and threatened to stage a sit-in at the Ayub Bridge in Balakot city on August 14 for indefinite period.

The protesters, who belonged to Balakot and Garlat union councils, took out a rally from Kaghan Road, which ended outside the local police station after marching through various roads.

Holding banners and placards, they shouted slogans against the federal and provincial governments and held local lawmakers responsible for their misery.

`The successive governments had made promises for the removal of hurdles to the New Balakot City housing project since 2009 but they all turned out to be false and thus forcing us to live a miserable life in small shelter houses donated by Saudi Arabia after the 2005 earthquake,` member of Balakot neighbourhood committee Sardar Hussain told protesters.

He said military ruler Pervez Musharraf initiated the New Balakot City pro-ject to settle the earthquake survivors but the successive governments failed to complete work on it to the sufferings of more than 4,000 families.

`Our small shelter houses are in bad shape and the completion of the Balakot city project is not in sight, he said.

Another earthquake survivor, Mohammad Zaheer, invited all political parties to join the Aug 14 sit-in to show solidarity with protesters.

ROADS BLOCKED:The people on Monday blocked the Karakoram Highway and other main arteries for traffic to protest prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding in Mansehra city on Sunday night.

All main roads leading to other parts of the country remained blocked for many hours af ter 10pm as the people took to the streets in Dub, Channia, College Doraha and other parts of city blocking the Karakoram Highway and other major arteries.

They, mostly youths, burned old tyres on roads shouting slogans against the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz and federal government.

The protesters complained that the electric supply to them remained suspended for more than 18 hours daily paralysing life.