PESHAWAR: Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say. The same is happening to the two colleges proposed for the remote areas of Bajaur Agency as the relevant authorities and local residents have been at odds over their location since 2014.

A tug of war among members of the technical committee over the selection of sites for the boys’ colleges in two remote areas of the tribal agency is causing delay in the execution of the project.

Notables and a senior officer of the local paramilitary force have also jumped into the fray and thus, creating more complications though they’ve nothing to do with the project.

Tug of war among members of technical panel a major hurdle for project

Some elements have attempted to drag the 11th Corps and Frontier Corps headquarters into the dispute to protect their financial interests, show the official documents.

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan had announced the establishment of two degree colleges in the agency during the December 2014 visit.

One degree college was proposed to be established in Pashat area and the other in Barang area.

Both areas are part of the constituency of MNA Shahabuddin Khan, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

An official of the civil secretariat Fata said the practice in tribal areas was that the local residents offered free lands for education and other institutions to appoint their kith and kin or sell vacancies.

“Schemes are not sanctioned on need basis but to appoint family members or sell vacancies,” he said.

The official sources said the local political agent had rejected the sites selected by most members of the technical committee for the colleges.

The technical committee headed by the political agent consisting of the officials of the directorate of education, planning and development department, building division and relevant departments was constituted to select the feasible sites for colleges.

“The political agent has unilaterally bypassed the decisions of other members of the committee,” a committee member alleged, adding that the sites approved by a majority of the committee were centrally located and very accessible to the local population.

The Fata additional directorate education (planning and monitoring) through a letter notified that the competent authority had approved the establishment of degree colleges in Pashat and Said Wazir Killi in Barang area.

The other quarters are blaming MNA Shahabuddin Khan for pressuring the political administration to deal with influential people for purchasing their lands at exorbitant rates.

These quarters claimed that influential notables of the area had demanded Rs2.7 million per kanal in Pashat area, which was more than the market rate, while other people had offered land free of charge.

An official document shows that the MNA had earlier demanded Rs4.7 million per kanal.

Another document states that three influential people, including two real brothers, had offered land free of charge for the college in Barang area against the appointment of all class-IV employees and the college would be named after their elder, Amirzada Utmankhel.

Sources privy to the meetings said the political agent had suggested the establishment of the college in Jumma Said area of Barang, where local resident Sher Azeem had given land free of charge.

They said the committee had rejected the PA’s proposed site as it was close to a seasonal nullah and its leveling for the construction purposes alone needed Rs20 million.

Political agent Abbas Khan was not available for comments despite repeated contacts.

When contacted, Nizamuddin Khan, son of MNA Shahabuddin Khan, said his family had never demanded the cost of the land for the college to be built in Pashat, his village.

He said after the approval of the site by the committee, his family gave an undertaking on stamp paper stating, “whatever the cost the government approves they will accept it.”

“Our family neither demanded the cost of the land nor other incentives in the college,” he insisted, adding that they had no objection if the authorities approved another feasible location for the college.

Fata director (education) Hashim Khan told Dawn that under the policy, land won’t be acquired free of charge for educational and other institutions.

He said if the offer for free land was accepted, then the owner would demand jobs in college.

The director said the site for the Pashat college had been approved and that the price would be paid to the landowner after the government determined it.

He however said the location of the Barang college had yet to be finalised.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2017