KHYBER: Tribal elders on Friday resented stone crushing in parts of Jamrud tehsil here despite the Peshawar High Court`s orders for the relocation of such units.

Addressing a news conference here, Kukikhel elders Malak Younas, Haji Lal Bat Khan, Hazrat Ali Shah, Rashid Gul and Qari Yasir Ahmad alleged that the stone crushing units in Takhtabeg were sealed by the district administration aweek ago only to let them reopen and resume operations the next day.

They said that scores of people in Takhtabeg and surrounding localities, including children, women and elderly, suffered from respiratory illnesses as excessive dust was generated by stone crushing machines.

The elders said that continuous and illegal stone crushing had not only affected the environment but also badly disturbed the ecosystem of areas where illegal activity was carried out.

They said that the Peshawar High Court recently banned stone crushing in Jamrud and issued special directives to the district administration, environmental protection agencies and industries department to ensurerelocation of all those units away from residential areas to safeguard the health of the residents.

The elders alleged that most of those units were given `secret permission` by authorities for nighttime operations.

A group of local schoolchildren, who were also present during the news conference, complained that respiratory issues were caused by excessive dust spread by illegal crushing units.

The Kukikhel elders threatened to take to the streets to protest illegal operations of stone crushing units and the administration`s failure to address the grave issue.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of Khyber tribal district Shahid Ali visited Tirah BaghMaidan Markaz on Friday and examined work on development schemes.

He directed the relevant officials and contractors to complete work in the stipulated time without compromising quality.

The DC also ordered speedy work for the early completion of offices in Bagh Maidan and Paindi Cheena saying this will ensure early posting of officials to those areas to the benefit of the local population.

He also met a delegation of elders in Lar Bagh and assured them of early resolution of the residents`issues.

Mr Ali said that special attention was paid to the improvement of healthcare and educational facilities besides ensuring transparency in the execution of all development schemes.