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PESHAWAR: Elementary and secondary education minister Sardar Hussain Babak told Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday that military authorities were responsible for demolition of the buildings of around 200 Mansehra schools, which remained intact in the October 2005 earthquake.

Responding to a point of order of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Javid Abbasi, the minister told the House that army engineers had authorised contractors to dismantle about 200 schools which were earlier declared safe.

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale had struck the country's northern areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in October 2005, killing over 70,000 people and hundreds of thousands of buildings, including houses, were flattened.

Mr Babak said military authorities had awarded contract for demolition of 200 schools in Mansehra district after the earthquake though these buildings were declare safe. He said each of the schools in question was auctioned at Rs125,000 and that there was no need to demolish their buildings.

He said the provincial government was holding talks with foreign donors to provide assistance or grants for reconstruction of schools in Mansehra and other affected districts.

Speaking on the point of order, MPA Javid Abbasi said thousands of children had been studying in the open in harsh weather in the district.

He said the government didn't provide shelter to children from chilly weather and demanded early reconstruction of the damaged buildings of schools.

The MPA said reconstruction authorities of the federal and provincial levels had failed to deliver and that funds allocated for reconstruction of schools in the earthquake-hit areas had been diverted to other provinces on the federal government orders.He said damaged infrastructure, including schools and roads, in the earthquake-affected areas required Rs9 billion for repair, adding that donors had provided assistance for reconstruction the infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, not for construction of new projects in Multan, the prime minister's hometown.

Lawmakers criticised Wapda for prolonged power loadshedding and low voltage in rural and urban areas of the province.

Deputy speaker Khushdil Khan complained of massive corruption in Wapda. He said consumers in his constituency were subjected to 15-hour loadshedding, adding that some elements were trying to instigate people against the government.

MPA Saqibullah Khan Chamkani said he had requested the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to install 11,000 meters in his constituency but no to avail.

Opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani asked the government to resume work on Lowari Tunnel linking Chitral with other parts of the country. He said work had been suspended on the project due to unavailability of funds and therefore, the government should take up the issue with the National Highway Authority.

APP adds that senior provincial minister Bashir Bilour said work on Lowari Tunnel that was in final stage had been suspended due to chilly weather and heavy snowfall, APP adds.

Earlier, speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmati administered oath to newly-elect MPA Engineer Sajjadullah Khan from Kohistan.

The session was later adjourned to 4:00pm on Monday.