Village progress through local committees in Battagram

BATTAGRAM: Thousands of people in Battagram Kolai and other villages provided with road, water pumps and toilets facilities by local welfare committees which has eased their lives.
District Battagram is among the backward districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with low literacy rate and poverty and its inhabitants have been facing lack of basic facilities since the district had given status of district.
Umar Asghar Khan Foundation had conducted awareness sessions among the public in Battagram as well as constituted village based committees for meant to highlight their issues and resolve through the possible ways.
Ahmed Faraz, the local committee office bearer, said they had made efforts by submitting applications to Anti corruption and district administration about their sole primacy school reconstruction, demolished by Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) in 2005, completed recently and classes started in it.
“We also highlighted the school, water shortage, road, and other issues at different platforms in which 80 percent resolved and people getting benefits of the facilities,” He said.
Muhammad Sadiq, a local said they have done several development schemes in Kolai and Cham areas through their local welfare committee in which construction of public toilets, sanitation, water hand pumps were included.
“We have established 17 water hand pumps because the area has been facing acute water shortage for long, also rough road for the local population,” He said.
Muhammad Shabir, another committee office bearer, said they had constructed 16 Kilometer road rough road from Karakoram Highway to Bania on self help basis.
He said, they used to highlight the road issue as it was their longstanding demand and eventually the local MPA get approved Rs 500,000 for its blacktopping and concrete.
The road is now being used for travel purposes and bringing foods stuff from Battagram bazaar by Kolai, Bania, Chnaw, Chalonai, Kandar, Cham, Kolai bala, Tekrai, Bandego people, while in the past they had to brought the foods on their shoulders also taking patients to hospitals.
Nasim Khan, another local, said there was still water shortage issue in several ares and people had to brought water in gallons on donkeys from several miles distance.
The area locals, however, demanded of the government to initiate a mega water supply scheme for the area to end the water crises in the area.