KOHAT: The tehsil municipal administration (TMA), Kohat, has not utilised a single penny from the royalty funds since 2013 on provision of civic facilities in the city areas of PK-38, sources said.

They claimed that over Rs2.6 billion had been received in royalty funds since 2013. They said that construction work on a garbage recycling plant had been again jeopardised due to a tussle between its contractor Javed Khan and municipal engineer Qazi Fareed over sanction of bills. After remaining suspended for several years its work was started by the PTI-led government.

The sources said that so far Rs700 million had been released, but the contractor was allegedly not ready to start work. They said that several other projects for which money had been allocated were yet to be started or left incomplete for unknown reasons.

Work on reconstruction of city roads has not been initiated though Rs700 million were set aside for the purpose in December last. Likewise, the sports ground and gymnasium is still incomplete despite approval of Rs5 million for it.

The work was started in 2013. Another project for installation of electric coolers in government departments is also on hold.

The sources said that the funds allocated for the repair work in the women and children hospital and KDA divisional headquarters hospital, purchase of transformers, and construction of footpaths in cantonment had been lying unused.

59 ARRESTED: Police arrested 59 people, including eight Afghan refugees, and seized weapons and a stolen vehicle here on Thursday.

According to the city police, they erected barricades at Peshawar Chowk on Hangu Road and during routine checking seized a stolen pick-up (W-4023).

The pick-up was stolen from the old bus stand and on the complaint of its owner, Shabbir Ahmed, a case had been registered in the city police station on January 23, 2015.

One Farhan Khan, a resident of Garhi Dhodewal, was also arrested in the case.

During a search operation in Kharmato, Oarkzai Banda, city and Junglekhel areas 59 people, including four Afghan refugees, were arrested. Weapons were also recovered in the operation that included three small machine guns, three 12-bore repeaters, five rifles, five shotguns and 10 pistols.

The cases have been registered in respective police stations.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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