Woman killed in roof collapse

SWABI, Oct 4: A woman was killed and four other members of her family were injured when the roof of their mud house collapsed in a village in Yar Hussain here on Thursday.

Hussain Ali, an education officer of the area, told this correspondent on phone the victim was identified as wife of Hazrat Shah. The injured included Razi Khan, Manazir Khan, wife of Razi Khan and a child.

The locals rushed to the house and retrieved the injured from the wreckage and shifted them to Yar Hussain hospital.

Meanwhile, the police seized timber worth millions of rupees and arrested an accused in Topi on Thursday.

A patrol party of the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate police station signalled a truck on Gadoon-Topi road near the Bisak bus stop, but the driver sped away. The police intercepted the truck after a brief chase and arrested the driver, Abid Khan. —Correspondent

Blind murder case solved

LAKKI MARWAT, Oct 4: Police claimed on Thursday to have solved the blind murder case of a constable and arrested a man alleged to be a member of a gang of criminals.

“Constable Kiramatullah was killed on the night of August 25 while going to his village Mastikhel from Dhoda on his motorbike,” an official said, adding the killers had escaped taking away his bike.

“After registration of case against unknown killers an investigation team constituted on the directives of RPO Bannu region Nisar Ahmad Tanoli started probing the case,” he maintained. He said investigators successfully traced the murder of policeman and arrested an accused identified as Abdul Wahid, resident of Daulatkhel.

“On questioning the man confessed that he and his other accomplices belonging to Mosami gang killed the constable and also snatched a motorcycle from him,” the official disclosed.

He added police recovered the motorbike from the forests near Dhoda village. —Correspondent

Bee-keepers protest taxes

KARAK, Oct 4: Bee-keepers on Thursday organised a march in the Karak city to protest against the taxes imposed by the tehsil municipal administration on them.A large number of bee-keepers led by the association’s president Naeem Qasmi and general secretary Haji Noor Warjan marched from the Saddam Chowk to Baz Mohammad Khattak Chowk where they briefly blocked the Karak-Bannu road to traffic.

Addressing the protesters, the speakers said nowhere in the country taxes were levied on bee-keepers but the tehsil municipal administration Karak imposed taxes, which were unacceptable to them.

They alleged the TMO Karak awarded the tax collection contract to his blue-eyed contractors who were exploiting them. They demanded of the government to withdraw the taxes.

The speakers also criticised the attitude of the personnel of Hamidan police checkpost and demanded of the district police officer to take action against them. —Correspondent

Long-term financing facilities

PESHAWAR, Oct 4: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will implement modalities of “long-term financing facilities”, a development initiative announced for the promotion of industries in the province.

According to the decision taken in this regard, the loans would be extended on first come first served basis according to prudent banking practices up to the entire satisfaction of the Bank of Khyber with regard to collateral and security.

Moreover, 50 per cent of the allocated amount of Rs1 billion would be utilised for setting up new industries, 25 per cent for balancing, modernisation and expansion of the existing industries and 25 per cent for agro-based industries. The facility can also be availed by the existing units establishing a new business in the same name. —Bureau Report

Bio-gas plants

ABBOTTABAD, Oct 4: Managing Director, Small Industries Development Board (SIDB), Asmatullah Gandapur, on Thursday said six districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being provided bio-gas plants.

He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of a bio-gas plant at Ranjhnan village of Bandi Dhundan union council.

Mr Gandapur said Italian government had provided Rs50 billion for fixation of bio-gas plants in various districts of KP which include Peshawar, Charsadda, Malakand, Swabi, Mansehra and Haripur.

He informed that 15 bio-gas plants had been set up in Haripur and Mansehra districts so far, adding 100 more plants would be established in the province.

Mr Gandapur said bio-gas plants were a cheap source of energy for the consumers, urging the media to highlight the importance of this public welfare project.

Managing partner of the project Habibur Rehman said domestic consumers would benefit from smooth provision of bio-gas on cheap rates.—APP

Computerisation of land record

PESHAWAR, Oct 4: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Arshad Abdullah said on Thursday the government had introduced computerised land record for ensuring transparency.

Addressing inauguration ceremony of digitisation of land revenue record at Charsadda, he said the new system would facilitate owners of the land to get information about location of their property.He said the government was making concerted efforts to solve the complexities confronted by stakeholders.

The minister said record of the land in most parts of the district was partly damaged by the floods, adding the step would also help demarcate boundaries of the land washed away by flood waters. He expressed hope that the new system would also decrease the litigation over land disputes in courts.

Later, the minister also inaugurated a digitalised computer lab. The digitisation of land record has been introduced with the cooperation of Japanese government and an NGO, UN Habitat.—APP

Workers to be reappointed

PESHAWAR, Oct 4: The government has enacted a new law to restore the employees sacked between 1996 and 1998.

Under the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sacked Employees (Appointment Act), 2012, all those who were appointed during the period from November 1, 1993 to November 30, 1996 against civil posts and were dismissed, removed or terminated from service during the period from November 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998 shall be reappointed, according to a statement issued by the establishment & administration department on Thursday.

The government asked all the sacked employees to submit their applications in their respective departments with full documents up to October 20. Applications received after that date shall not be entertained.

The concerned departments will make lists of the applications in chronological order in their respective cadres and scrutinise their eligibility for appointment against 30 per cent available vacancies in order of seniority in age as per provision of the act. —Bureau Report