PESHAWAR: Representatives of various civil society organisations belonging to Lakki Marwat on Wednesday expressed serious concern over growing crimes in the district for the past many months and demanded of the government to take pragmatic steps by reinforcing the police and providing protection to the local people.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club, the representatives of welfare organisations, headed by Marwato Welfare Organisation chairman Sher Bandi Khan Marwat, said that street crimes had increased alarmingly in the district and armed men were freely roaming to snatch cash, motorbikes, mobile phone sets and other valuables from the citizens without any check.

Mr Marwat pointed out that some gangsters active in the district had made the lives of people miserable. He said that the population of the district was fast increasing, but the government was yet to strengthen the local police and set up new police stations.

He said that the CSOs had time and again contacted the relevant officials and sought their help, but they were overburdened due to prolonged duties. He claimed that of about 700 policemen deployed in the area over 300 were assigned security duties with government officials and other VIPs.

The lawlessness, he said, had caused increase in the number of drug addicts because most of the young people, including educated ones, were jobless. Besides, he said that development activities in the area were almost nonexistent and the daily wagers had no other source of income to feed their families.

Accompanied by representatives of other eight organisations from Laki Marwat, including Samiullah, Tahir Manan, Sajad Khan, Prof Ibrahim and others, Mr Marwat said that successive governments had never paid attention to development of Lakki district.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the education and healthcare facilities and urged the government to allocate sufficient funds for the improvement of roads, schools, hospital buildings and supply of drinking water.

About shortage of drinking and irrigation water, Mr Marwat said that the people had the opportunity to irrigate their agricultural land from the Barani Dam and Lakki Dam for last 20 years, which had dried up while work on Kuram Tangi Dam was also stopped owing to political issues.

The other CSOs said that the government should build small dams to convert the barren land into agriculture fields so that the jobless people could earn their livelihood.