Fruit, vegetable prices

KARAK, Aug 9: The price review committee has expressed surprise that the official rates of fruits and vegetables are higher than the market rates in Karak city and Takht Nusrati tehsil.

The committee, at its meeting held on Tuesday, warned the food department to ensure fixation of rates of fruits and vegetables on daily basis. The meeting was chaired by the district officer, revenue, Nazar Gul Mohmand.

ACO Azmat Jamal Khattak, all the three tehsil municipal officers, district food controller and deputy district officer revenue and traders attended the meeting. TMO Karak Gul Naib Khattak informed the meeting the rates of fruits and vegetables fixed by the price review committee in its last meeting were much higher than the market rates. —Correspondent

School closed

MANSEHRA, Aug 9: The only girls primary school in Mara Kalain area of Oghi has been closed as the education has transferred away the two teachers of the school.

A group of people of Mara Kalain told reporters in Oghi on Tuesday the education department by transferring the two teachers from the school had destroyed the future of their children. They said the education department first transferred one teacher last month and the second teacher was sent away last week, leading to the closure of the school.

The residents said future of about 200 girls was at stake if the new teachers were not posted to the school immediately. They threatened to hold protest demonstrations if the education department didn’t meet their demand within two days. —Correspondent

IDPs return home

GHALANAI, Aug 9: About 780 families of internally displaced persons left the Nahqi IDP camp for their hometowns in Mohmand tribal agency on Tuesday.

Officials at Nehqi IDP camp said 780 families had left the camp for their homes in Alingar, Shiekh Baba and Chamarkand towns.

The security forces after several phases of military operation ‘Brekhna’ (lightning) declared these areas cleared of militants.

The returning displaced families were being provided free transportation, food and other goods of domestic use. The returning IDPs were welcome by the security forces in their areas. —Correspondent

Three robbers arrested

MARDAN, Aug 9: The police have arrested three of the six alleged dacoits and recovered Rs3.1 million from them, officials said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference the DPO Mardan Dr Zeeshan Raza said the alleged dacoits identified as Syed Hasan, Shah Wali, Hussain Zada, Fateh, Mohammad and Sher had snatched Rs5.5 million from Ali Ahmad of Batkhela on Mardan bypass road while he was on way to Peshawar in a passenger coach some four months ago.

He said police had registered FIR against unknown dacoits on complaint of Ali Ahmad and started investigations on scientific grounds. After hectic efforts, the DPO said, they arrested three of the six dacoits from different parts and recovered Rs3.1 million from them. —Correspondent

Mineral licences

CHITRAL Aug 9: Chitral Mines and Mineral Committee has thanked the Provincial Minister for Mines, Minerals and Industries Mehmood Zeb for cancelling the licence issued to Central Exchange Company over an area of 5,000 square kilometers in Chitral giving local miners opportunities to exploit the fabulous treasure of precious and semi-precious minerals.

Addressing a press conference in Chitral press club on Tuesday, the chairman of the committee, Col (retired) Sardar Mohammad Khan said the committee had approached the minister over issuance of lease licences to the outsiders who failed to undertake any activity in the area.

Col Sardar said almost 500 local miners, if issued licences, could be accommodated in the areas vacated by the Central Exchange Company, generating handsome revenue to the government. —Correspondent

Rs400m for utility stores

PESHAWAR, Aug 9: MNA from Hangu and Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Commerce, Syed Haider Ali Shah, has said the government has so far released Rs400 million as subsidy on essential commodities in utility stores outlets in the first week of Ramazan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He was talking to journalists at the Peshawar press club after visiting different areas of Peshawar and Charsadda on Tuesday.

The MNA said the government had allocated Rs2 billion as subsidy on different daily use items through more than 6,000 utility stores outlets in the country.

The MNA maintained the subsidy had also been extended to 2,000 utility stores in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying, government had ensured maximum availability of sugar, flour and ghee and other daily use items. —Bureau Report

Handicraft centres

PESHAWAR, Aug 9: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti has directed social welfare department to ensure transparent distribution of 15 handicrafts centres approved this year.

The CM expressed these views while talking to Minister for Social Welfare Sitara Ayaz on Tuesday. Provincial secretary, social welfare and zakat, and principal secretary to chief minister were also present.

Ms Ayaz apprised the chief minister of performance of her department, ongoing construction activities and social welfare projects. Mr Hoti said areas for establishment of 15 handicrafts centres must be decided purely on merit and need basis, adding, preference should be given to areas where handicrafts centres were required the most. —Bureau Report

Gas pipeline damaged

KARAK, Aug 9: The residents of Tordhand area on Tuesday protested against provision of gas facility to some selected households of the village.

The villagers set a seven-day deadline to the SNGPL to either provide gas to the entire village or stop supply to selected houses. The elders said they would not allow the SNGPL to commit injustice to the villagers. The elders warned if the gas facility was not provided to the entire village of Tordhand in a week they would blow up the main pipeline leading to Rahmatabad and Latamber. —Correspondent

Governor’s advisor

PESHAWAR, Aug 9: PPP and PSF workers have expressed concern over the delay in provision of office to Misbahuddin, who was appointed as an advisor to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor recently.

The party’s Peshawar district president Israr Khan and PSF provincial secretary information Fahim Khattak, while talking to media persons on Tuesday said Misbahuddin had been appointed as advisor to the governor by President Asif Zardari on June 6 but he was yet to be given office at the Governor House. “We cannot ignore Misbah’s services he rendered for strengthening the party during the dictatorial regimes”, said Mr Fahim. He said the workers did not see any logic behind the delay in giving office to the party leader. —Bureau Report