Peshawar: Residents of Tila Band in Badhaber, PK-76 here on Thursday strongly criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly neglecting the area, saying thousands of people continue to live without basic education, healthcare, clean drinking water and proper roads.
Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, local elders and residents said Tila Band, despite having a population of around 20,000, had no Basic Health Unit or adequate educational institutions.
They said children, including girls, were forced to travel long distances to neighbouring areas for education.
The residents complained that the deteriorated condition of roads and streets had made daily life particularly difficult, with rain turning unpaved streets into muddy tracks and creating problems for patients, elderly people and schoolchildren.
They also expressed concern over the lack of clean drinking water and adequate tube-well facilities, questioning the government’s failure to provide essential services to a densely populated locality despite repeated demands.
The protesters alleged that development funds meant for the constituency had not translated into visible improvements on the ground and demanded a transparent inquiry into the utilization of the funds. The allegations could not be independently verified.
The residents called upon Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to take immediate notice of the situation and direct the relevant departments to launch development work in the area.
They warned that failure to address their grievances within 15 days would lead them to stage a protest outside the Chief Minister’s House.
Later, the residents staged a protest outside the Peshawar Press Club and raised slogans against the provincial government and their elected representative.
