CHITRAL: A legal confrontation has escalated following the registration of an FIR against local elected representatives by the Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) over pollution in the Lotkoh River.
Led by VC Chairman Sajad Ahmed Prithvi, representatives submitted a formal written request at Garam Chashma Police Station to register an FIR against the TMO of Chitral-1 for failing to comply with government regulations.
The submission included the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government notification dated August 29, 2025, which mandates proper solid waste management, establishment of dumping sites, and use of sanitation machinery.
The representatives accused the TMO of deliberately ignoring the government notification, keeping sanitation vehicles and machinery inactive, failing to establish dumping yards, and allowing garbage from markets and residential areas to be dumped into rivers for years.
They argued that this negligence violates Sections 166, 188, and 217 of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Act 2014, warranting legal action.
Meanwhile, the chairpersons, members, and residents of six village councils in Lotkoh unanimously passed a resolution condemning the TMO’s poor performance and irresponsible conduct.
The resolution stated that the river pollution resulting from neglected sanitation was a last-resort protest rather than an act of malice, criticizing the registration of an FIR against elected officials instead of addressing the issue.
The representatives and civil society have warned that if the FIR against two VC chairmen is not withdrawn, they will pursue legal action against the TMO and hold markets, butchers, and commercial centers collectively responsible for the long-standing pollution.
They emphasized that the environmental crisis is the result of years of administrative negligence, not a single day of protest, and called for impartial enforcement of the law.
