CHARSADDA: The Rescue 1122 Tangi Station in Charsadda has been inaugurated for the second time in just five months despite remaining non-operational, with no ambulances, fire engines, electricity connection or essential equipment in place.
The station was first inaugurated on January 23 by National Assembly member Malik Anwar Taj and Provincial Assembly member Khalid Khan Mohmand. However, residents say the facility has remained an empty building since then, with no emergency services available.
On Friday, Provincial Minister Aqibullah Khan, accompanied by MNA Malik Anwar Taj, visited the same station and effectively marked its reopening.
Speaking to the media, the provincial minister said the Rescue 1122 station would be provided with ambulances, vehicles and other necessary facilities within the next month.
Despite the assurances, local residents pointed out that even five months after the first inauguration, the building still does not have an electricity meter. There are no ambulances, fire tenders or rescue vehicles stationed at the facility.
According to locals, even basic furniture is missing, with a Rescue 1122 official reportedly bringing a chair and other items from home for temporary use.
Residents said that in the event of fires, road accidents or medical emergencies, rescue vehicles continue to be dispatched from the main Rescue 1122 station in Charsadda city. They said the travel time often results in significant delays, increasing the risk of property damage and loss of life.
“The purpose of establishing a Rescue 1122 station in Tangi was to ensure a quick emergency response, but the station exists only on paper,” a local resident said.
Residents described the second inauguration of an empty building as “a joke with the public” and urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to make the station fully operational without further delay by providing vehicles, trained staff and the necessary infrastructure.
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