October 28, 2001	Sunday	Shaba'an 10, 1422

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SKARDU, Oct 27: The people in Northern Areas are facing serious problems in getting loans from the House Building Finance Corporation owing to not having a zonal office in the area, sources told Dawn.

A large number of the people have complained that the zonal office of the HBFC had been shifted when Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi was the federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and Norther Areas.

Since then we have been sending our application papers for loans to Abbottabad for sanction, where the documents rot for several months. Even then, some times, due to the negligence of the concern authorities, our documents are get lost,” they alleged.

When contacted, the officials of the HBFC Skardu said that we have pointed out this issue several times to our higher authorities, but in vain.

The people here have demanded of the Federal Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas Abbas Sarfraz Khan that the zonal office of the HBFC Gilgit may be restored immediately.

SCHOOL: The residents of Dawoo town 130 kilometres from here have protested against the unfair attitude of the authorities of the education department Ghanche regarding their negligence about Dawoo Middle School. They alleged that the concern authorities are ignoring their school, due to which the future of their children have been in jeopardy.

The villagers said that a primary school had been established there in 1977, and launched classes in a local house, with the approval of four teacher’s posts.

Since the establishment of the school, neither the school building was constructed nor provided teachers, except one,” they explained.

In 1998, this primary school was upgraded to middle school and the number of the students have been increased,” they added.

FLIGHTS: PIA has reduced its flights to Skardu and started to operate flights only three days in a week, it was learnt here.

According to the new schedule, the flights from Islamabad to Skardu will be operated only on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The public circles have strictly criticized and opposed this step and said that by this way, the travellers will suffer badly.