Traders from Pir Baba Pachakli Bazaar in Buner, whose shops were devastated by recent floods, held a grand protest Jirga on Friday against what they termed delaying tactics by the district administration in releasing compensation cheques.
The Jirga, attended by hundreds of affected shopkeepers, warned that if payments were not released within three days, they would launch an indefinite protest movement, for which the administration would be responsible.
Addressing the Jirga, President of Anjuman Tajiran Pir Baba Pachakli, Haji Syed Wahid, accompanied by Sarfraz Khan, Irfan Ali, Dr. Fida Hussain, minority leader Sardar Sant Singh, and others, said that although 52 days had passed since the floods, not a single affected shopkeeper had received the promised compensation of Rs500,000 each.
They added that a few cheques were issued, which the banks refused to cash, citing insufficient funds. “Even after 52 days, the survey of damages has not been completed. Instead, the administration is conducting survey after survey, now in its fifth round,” they alleged.
Speakers criticised officials for errors in the survey process, claiming that undeserving individuals were being listed while genuine victims continued to suffer.
They maintained that the destruction of shops and businesses was evident to everyone, yet the authorities were still failing to finalise the process. The traders stressed that without timely compensation, they were unable to restart their businesses.
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