April 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1429

ABBOTTABAD, April 28: The District Coordination Officer (DCO), Javed Hussain, got 17 houses vacated from government employees who had either retired or were transferred to other places and were illegally occupying the official residences.

Despite the resistance by the district nazim, who had stopped the DCO from getting the residences vacated through a notification two days ago, the occupiers were evicted from the houses on the orders of the DCO.

Those who occupied the official residences included DRO Haripur Lateefur Rehman and DCO Kohistan Dildar Danish.

It may be noted that the former DCO Abbottabad, Sahibazada Anees, had constituted a committee to get the official residences vacated.

The newly-appointed DCO tried to implement the decision of the committee but District Nazim Abbottabad Sardar Haider Zaman stopped him from executing the decision.

The nazim had said that a new committee would be constituted in this regard, while the DCO office was of the view that the illegal occupants had caused a loss of Rs2.5 million to the government.

Those who were forcefully evicted from the official residences include Mohammad Ameen (retired clerk, Education), Abdul Wadood (retired naib qasid), Yasmeen, deputy district education officer, who is transferred to other district, Shakeel, clerk posted outside the district, Dr Fozia, dental surgeon (transferred), Riaz Khan (deputy registrar, Hazara University), Adil (deputy registrar, Hazara University), Abdul Rasheed (junior clerk, transferred), Murtaza (election office), Sajjad (clerk, district health office) and Abdul Rasheed (clerk Education, transferred).

MEHFIL-E-MILAD: The 13th Annual Mehfil-e-Milad was organised by the Abasin Arts Council, women wing, and Halqa Zikar-e-Habib, women wing, at Jalal Baba Auditorium here on Sunday evening.

The function was presided over by Gulshan Ayub, MPA Advocate Sajida Yameen and Dr Salma Azhar Kundi, vice principal Ayub Medical College. MPA Naeema Nisar also presented some Naats at the function.

Later, awards were distributed among the Naat Khwans for their performance in the national competitions organised during the year 2008.

Those awarded include Nadia Munsif, Sahir Khan, Faria Akbar, Amna Waheed, Munaza Waheed, Faozia Nazeer, Qurattul Aien, Afshan Akbar, Aliya Munsif , Noshaba Tariq, Riffat Nazli and Natasha Anwar.

FOOTPATHS BEING REMOVED: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has started removing footpaths from Ayub Medical Complex to Abbottabad city along the main Abbottabad-Mansehra Road, leaving no option for pedestrians but to walk on the road.