TIMERGARA: Class-IV employees working in health facilities across Lower Dir on Wednesday boycotted their duties and protested outside the press club here against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for its failure to approve health professional allowance for them.

Earlier, the employees staged a protest demonstration at district headquarter hospital, Timergara, where class-IV workers from Upper Dir also joined them. The protesting employees, while holding banners and placards, marched on the road from the hospital to the press club, where they blocked Timergara Dir road for some time, chanting slogans against the government.

Addressing the protesters, All Pakistan Clerks Association`s provincial vice-president Faiz Ali Shah, and others accused the KP government of depriving the class-IV employees of health professional allowance. They pointed out that Rs80,000 health professional allowance was paid to a specialist doctor, Rs72,000 to medical officer and Rs10,000 to paramedics.

The employees announced to stage a protest rally in front of the provincial assembly building at Peshawar on Nov 10.

CONTAMINATED WATER:Participants at a function on Wednesday complained that residents of Balambat union council were using contaminated water for domestic use due to which they were contracting water-borne diseases.

The function was organised by the Pakistan Poverty Reduction (PPR), an SRSP-funded project working in health and education sectors in the district.

District health officer Dr Shaukat Ali, PPR representative Dr Sahibzada Ibrar, WHO representative Dr Shahid Khan, area elders and local government representatives were in attendance.

The residents pointed out they got water from tube-wells which was unfit for human consumption, causing water-borne diseases.

The DHO and PPR representative announced that samples of water would be sent for laboratory examination and appropriate steps would be taken in light of the report. They also promised to carry out anti-malaria spray in the localities.

YOUTH KILLED: A youth identified as Sanaullah, resident of Ziarat Talash, was killed when unknown persons opened fire on him at Goru area on Wednesday. Motive behind the killing could not be ascertained. The family of Sanaullah claimed it had no enmity with anyone.

Police registered case against unknown killers and began investigations.