MANSEHRA: A flooded stream resulting from heavy showers inundated several villages in Torghar district in the wee hours on Sunday, extensively damaging a road, water and sewerage lines and a house.

“A wide area has been submerged under flood water, adversely affecting local population as water channels, sewerage lines and a house have been destroyed,” Dilroz Khan, the district nazim told reporters.

He said people in Jarakot, Mera Madakhail and adjoining villages were affected who spent night in the open. “We have to restore destroyed infrastructure and roads as early as possible so that the marooned population can be linked with rest of the district,” said Mr Khan.

Nazim says battered infrastructure to be rehabilitated soon

The district nazim said a portion of local road was also swept away in flood.

He said main Judbah-Thakot Road had also been damaged because of rains.

“We have also relocated people settled on the banks of Indus River because of expected flooding,” said Mr Khan.

GAS SUPPLY PROJECT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Salah Mohammad Khan on Sunday inaugurated a natural gas supply project for Shinkiari and Dodial towns with an estimated cost of Rs1.6 billion.

“I had got approved this mega project from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as an MPA in previous government and now got Rs1.6 billion sanctioned from the PTI federal government for execution of the project ,” Mr Khan told the participants of the inaugural ceremony in Dodial.

He said pipeline lying work would be complete within next two to three months.

He said the government had also approved electricity supply schemes for far off areas in his constituency.

“Chief Minister Mehmood Khan is taking keen interest in water supply to Mansehra city and its suburbs on demands of local lawmakers and has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia government in this regard,” said Mr Khan.

PTI GOVT CRITICISED: Pakistan Muslim League-N MNA Mohammad Sajjad on Sunday claimed that his younger brother and son-in-law of former premier Nawaz Sharif had executed development schemes of over Rs28 billion alone in his NA-14 constituency.

“The PTI government is pushing people against the wall in the name of economic reforms as current high inflation has eroded people’s purchasing power,” Mr Sajjad told a public meeting in Oghi on Sunday.

He said current government didn’t release development funds for backward and far-off constituencies like NA-14.

“Captain retired Safdar had released an amount of Rs28 billion, of which Rs9 billion were meant for natural gas supply to Oghi and Tanawal,” said Mr Sajjad.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2019