GILGIT, June 5: The Pakistan Engineering Council has established a branch in Gilgit to regulate contractors and ensure building laws are implemented, council’s deputy registrar Engineer Ghulam Karim said.

He said the regional office would blacklist contractors violating PEC laws and facilitate bona fide contractors in the region, which would save their travelling expenditures to Islamabad. He said there were 2,000 registered contractors in Northern Areas but only 600 were working.

He said building codes were being framed throughout the country after the October 8 earthquake and buildings in Northern Areas would also be constructed according to this code.

He said the office had been established to ensure check and balance, which was earlier non-existent.—Correspondent