KA RAK: A local rights organisation has set one-month deadline to the authorities for provision of natural gas to the locals, failing which it would stage a protest sit-in outside the main gate of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) at the Nashpa dehydration plant here.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Khattak Ittehad at the Town Hall Karak on Friday with its president Maulana Mirzageem in the chair.

The participants expressed concern over the unscheduled and excessive power loadshedding, low gas pressure, shortage of water and poor law and order in the district.

They regretted that natural gas had been explored on the soil of Karak but its dwellers were deprived of the f acility. They said women were forced to use firewood at homes. They said the people had extended support to the oil and gas companies in exploration work but they were still deprived of the facility.

The elders said the Peshawar Electric Supply Company was sending inflated bills to the consumers. They said the consumers were ready to pay the bills if the Pesco stopped the practice of fining people. They demanded an end to the unscheduled loadshedding.

They recalled that the Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf government had earmarked Rs520 million for provision of drinking water to the residents of Karak city, but the scheme was removed from the annual developmental plan. The participants said extortionists had been sending threats to the former traders` body president, Haji Tahir Ayub, but no action had been taken against them.The rights body also announced to launch a public contact campaign soon.Correspondent