KOHAT: Recently-completed roads in Kohat have developed numerous potholes due to use of substandard material in construction of the projects.

Residents said that some of such projects included KDA Town road, Junglekhel road, ISSB road, Girls College road and Miankhel Bazaar road, which were constructed recently from the maintenance and repair fund of the tehsil municipal administration.

They said that the roads had developed big potholes as poor quality construction material was used in the projects owing to the negligence of the MPAs from the area and heads of the government departments. They said that travel on these roads had become very difficult.

Residents call for probe into use of substandard material

They said that the same was the case with the new basketball ground of the government higher secondary school for boys, but nobody pointed out the corruption of the officials.

They said that Kohat was given Rs35 billion annually against production of oil and gas, but in the past one decade no mega project had been launched in the district which showed negligence and lack interest of public representatives from the district.

Meanwhile, material being used in one mega project of recycling plant, which was launched last year with a cost of Rs40 million, had become a test case of corruption for the leaders. Its boundary wall fell down during winds a few weeks ago.

The residents have demanded of the anti-corruption department to take steps against the use of substandard material and corruption in construction projects.

BISE STILL HEADLESS: People here have demanded immediate appointment of chairman of Kohat Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, saying that the post is lying vacant for the last one and a half years.

Students and staff have to go to Peshawar for resolution of their problems, as BISE Peshawar chairman presently looking after the affairs of Kohat board as its acting chairman.

Sources said that there was a tussle going on between adviser to the chief minister, Amjid Afridi, and other MPAs from Kohat due to which chairman could not be appointed as yet. They said that each of the public representatives wanted to get appointed own blue eyed person as the chairman.

The people have asked the local representatives to leave the issue to the education department to immediately appoint an independent chairman so that he could take steps for improving the standard of education in Kohat.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2014