By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The provision of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through pipelines by early months of next year to Chitral will greatly help the conservation of oak and deodar forest of Chitral which is ruthlessly chopped down to meet the fuel needs for cooking and heating.
The MNA from Chitral Shahzada Iftikharud Din told the local media men here on Wednesday that the extensive use of oak and deodar wood has led to the depletion of forest while the price of the commodity has gone beyond the reach of a common man while the provision of natural gas will do away with the problem once and for all.
He said adding that transportation of LPG on bulk quantity to Chitral through the 22-wheeler troller is now possible due as the Lowari tunnel has been commissioned for public transport while the only hindrance was the purchase of land for setting up LPG stations in Chitral city, Ayun and Drosh.
“The starting of the provision of natural gas through the pipelines from the local LPG tanks near Chitral city, Broze, Drosh and Kagh Lusht near Booni town in upper Chitral will be surely an historical moment and is equally important with that of Lowari tunnel”, he said.
The lawmaker from Chitral said that gas will be provided to the households through pipes and the consumers will be billed on monthly basis and it will nearly exclude the use of wood as fuel thereby preserving environment.
He said that as directed by the former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, it has been decided to provide subsidy of 67 percent to the consumers and it will save a large amount which a household spent on fuel wood every year thereby raising their standard of living.
He said that construction of Shandur Road and Garam Chashma Road will start shortly whose preliminary works have been completed and funds allocated in the budget of the current year of the federal government. Presently, less than 10 percent of the total households of the urban area of Chitral used natural gas for cooking and heating provided in cylinders and in rural areas, the usage drops further with tremendous increase of oak and other local species of wood casting negative impact on the environment.
In the winter season, the short supply of gas cylinders popped up with the closure of Lowari Pass and hundred percent households depended on firewood and the high demand further raised the prices of wood abruptly.
Shahzada Iftikhar said that the establishment of LPG storage tanks in different localities of Chitral will also ensure the smooth supply of the commodity not only through pipelines but the distant villages will also be benefitted through the domestic cylinders filled in the nearest tanks.
He said that apart from the three localities, it has also been decided to include Booni, Mastuj and Garam Chashma which were presently not feasible for want of proper road supporting the movement of troller. He said that the land acquirement process is at the final stage as the chief engineer of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited had visited the district and had decided the matter with the district administration.
The lawmaker expected that the prime minister will also inaugurate the LPG stations in Chitral during his forthcoming visit to Chitral in the first week of December.
He eulogized the PML-N government for paying special attention to the development works of Chitral while the provincial government of PTI has totally ignored the district for development projects.
