PESHAWAR, Nov 14: The NWFP Assembly has demanded through a unanimous resolution that the National Highway Authority should reconstruct a portion of motorway near Jalbai village in Swabi district washed away in recent rains.

Provincial Education Minister Maulana Fazale Ali Haqqani and MPA Abdul Majid Khan from Swabi moved the resolution. They alleged use of substandard material in the construction of the road.

They asked the NHA to hold an inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the contractor and officials concerned. They said it had become difficult for transporters to ply their vehicles on the road and residents of the villages in the area were without any transport facility.

They called for early resumption of work on the road.

Other lawmakers from Swabi endorsed the resolution.

The house also adopted unanimously a resolution tabled by Shagufta Naz, Raffat Jabeen, Zobaida Khatoon and Naeema Akhtar of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal against the removal of the Islamia College building's image from the new Rs100 notes issued by the State Bank.

They asked the bank to print the building's image on the new notes of Rs1,000 and Rs50. They expressed the hope that the federal government would honour the aspirations of the house on the issue.

Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan admitted for debate an adjournment motion tabled by Abdul Majid Khan against corruption in the lower offices of the revenue department. He said patwaris (record-keepers of land data) were bound to display rates of land registration, mutation, abyana and other certificates but they charged arbitrarily from the farmers. He said the farmers had no option except greasing the palms of patwaris.

Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians asked the chair to admit the motion for debate, saying that it was the main problem confronting the farmers.

Israrullah Gandapur of the PPP (Sherpao) drew the attention of the house towards the destruction of the water distribution system in his area in the recent floods.

He asked the government to reconstruct the water channels in the affected areas.

The minister for irrigation and power assured the house that he would discuss the matter with the mover and take necessary action forthwith. The mover didn't press his notice.

Alamzeb Khan Omarzai drew the attention of the house towards slow construction of the Charsadda-Peshawar road, on which work was begun four years ago.

He said recent rains and flood in local streams had destroyed a portion of the Khiali Bridge but the government had not taken any step to reconstruct it.