SWABI, Dec 25: The district council expressed serious concern on Friday over the use of substandard material by contractors in the construction of various development projects and demanded prompt action against them.

The members said that the use of substandard material had destroyed the durability of the projects, creating problem for the district government and leading to wastage of public funds.

They were of the view that there was dire need of a neutral monitoring body to decide whether the material used in the construction of different projects were according to the standard.

In the Sahmansoor Hospital, the contractor, they said, used substandard material and there was a long list of such projects but the concerned officials had remained dormant due to unknown reasons.

The contractors, who used substandard materials, should reconstruct the projects and face the penalty.

The council welcomed the plan to remove the encroachment and take back the public property from influential persons.

All those they said who occupied the footpaths in the district headquarter and elsewhere in the district should be removed immediately by Tehsil Municipal Administration, whether they belong to any influential group or political party.

They said that no one would be allowed to occupy the public property, saying that all the members both opposition and treasury benches to extend support to the anti-encroachment drive.

The council members also alleged that irregularities had been reported in transfer and postings of various departments and only those employees had succeeded to get the choice station who belonged to the ruling party.