March 25, 2002	Monday	Muharram 10, 1423

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MINGORA, March 24: The authorities of the Rs2.82 billion Malakand Rural Development Project (MRDP) is widely being criticized by the elected representatives and the people of the Malakand division for their failure to initiate development schemes.

The authorities have signed agreements with some non-governmental organizations for launching various schemes under the project, but they are yet to materialize their planning.

The project, mainly sponsored by the Asian Developmental Bank (ADB), was to be launched in 1998 and completed in seven years.

The staff concerned have failed to open offices in Shangla, Malakand and Daggar Buner. In Swat, offices were opened in 2000. 

One after another three project directors have been appointed, but no development scheme has yet been identified. Waqar Ayub was the first project director, who was replaced by Zafar Qader but he, too, was transferred on some serious charges of irregularities.

Jamshed ul Hassan has now taken over as the new project director, who is running the EIROP in Peshawar and is hardly found at the Swat office for some days in a month.

The area people said the funds meant for the development of backward rural areas were being spent on useless workshops, seminars, transportation, publicity and other non-developmental programmes.

They lamented that no steps had been taken to ameliorate the conditions of their area, saying that roads were littered with countless potholes, causing a great hardship for motorists and commuters.

The Nazim of the Alpurai Shangla tehsil, Muhibullah Khan, also expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the authorities and termed their activities a mere eyewash.

He asked the government to look into the matter and ensure initiation of development schemes.

However, the administration manager termed all the allegations baseless, saying that they were bound to follow the policies being devised under the project.

The project was basically meant for educating the people and holding seminars and workshops was a part of the programme, he said, adding that the use of vehicles was necessary for visiting sites in different districts.