KOHAT: The Kohat district administration on Thursday issued arrest warrants for 26 parents who refused to get oral polio vaccine (OPV) administered to their children.

They were brought to the Saddar and Janglekhel police stations from where they were freed after they agreed to give vaccines to their children. OPV was administered to their children at the police stations. The parents told the police that they were not present at their homes at the time of vaccinators’ visit and that they had never refused vaccination of their children. Later, the arrest warrants issued against them were withdrawn.

When contacted, head of the district health information system Mahboob Shah told Dawn on phone that about nine parents were still refusing OPV to their children, but they would also be convinced on the matter. He said that most of the parents resisting OPV for their children were in Sheikhan area of Kohat.

The statement issued from the deputy commissioner’s office said that the parents belonging to Janglekhel, Sheikhan and Bahadar Kot areas had threatened the polio vaccination teams and declined to give polio drops to their children. The polio teams also faced resistance in some other parts of the district, but that were not of a serious nature. The supervisors administered OPV there by convincing the parents with the help of elders.

FAMILY PARK: District development advisory committee chairman MPA Ziaullah Bangash on Thursday announced Rs60 million for establishment of a family park in Company Bagh here.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Ayub Sabir Hall at Bacha Khan Library here, he also said that that the IT park would also start functioning in the library from the coming month. The function was held under the auspices of Anjuman-i-Taraqiay Urdu, Kohat. The welcome address was given by poet Shahid Zaman.

The MPA announced Rs1 million for buying books and Rs1 million for installation of solar lights in the library.

He said that Islamic digital library would also be added to the existing building. He hoped that work on these projects would be started in next four months. MNA Shehryar Afridi was also present on the occasion who said that the Tanda Dam site was being developed on the pattern of Lake View Park. Both the lawmakers later gave away prizes to the students who excelled in various programmes.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2014