SWABI: Despite resistance from the local people, the district government on Friday started work on construction of a stadium and a boys degree college in Kotha village of Topi tehsil.

Local leaders of the ruling PTI said all legal requirements for executing the two projects had been completed.

The projects are estimated to cost Rs135 million, with major share of Rs120 million going to the Sahibzada Khursheed Memorial Degree College for Boys, Kotha.

An official of the communication and works department told Dawn that work on laying foundations of the two projects had started.

It is to be recalled that a week ago, the people of Kotha village held a protest meeting threatening not to allow construction of the projects on their land.

They also said they had already donated 430 kanals for the degree college in Sogandi area, where the college had been functioning for last over 25 years.

However, PTI leaders plan to shift the degree college to Safdarabad locality of Kotha and use the 430 kanals for building an education city in Sogandi.

The stadium and the college would be built on the 65 kanal land acquired in Safdarabad area.

Rangaiz Khan, acting district president of PTI, alleged the controversy over the land was created by Atta-ul-Haq Darvesh, district chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, who instigated the local people to protest against the government.

WORK STARTS ON SCHOOL: MPA Sheraz Khan inaugurated on Friday work on construction of additional rooms in government high school, Topi, after the school was upgraded to higher secondary level recently.

Talking to media persons on the occasion, he said the school had historic importance because land for it was provided by Islamia College Peshawar founder Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, who belonged to Topi city. The school was set up in 1937.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2016