TIMERGARA: Pakistan People’s Party senior vice-president and former MPA Mohammad Zamin Advocate on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and local government minister Inayatullah Khan of transferring Community Driven Local Development (CDLD) project’s funds to Nowshera, Haripur and Buner districts.

Speaking at a news conference here, he said the CDLD was launched in six militancy, floods and quakes-hit districts of Malakand division in 2015. He said the European Union had provided 80 million euro for supporting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s CDLD policy.

The PPP leader said the government was supposed to spend the funds in these districts on rehabilitation and reconstruction work till 2018 end. But, he said the government recently included three more districts of Nowshera, Haripur and Buner in the CDLD policy.

“It means the 80 million Euros will now be spent in these districts,” he alleged, adding the JI and PTI local lawmakers had kept criminal silence on the matter.

Zamin Advocate also alleged the social mobilisation role of Sarhad Rural Support Programme was also abolished in the implementation of the policy. He said the SRSP had well-trained and experienced staff while it had offered its services on the lowest bidding.

He said hundreds of development projects, including construction of roads, streets’ pavement, water supply schemes and power generation under the CDLD policy were successfully completed in Lower and Upper Dir.

He demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and concerned authorities of the EU to spend the entire allocated amount in Malakand division as per the MoU signed by the previous government.

The PPP leader threatened to bring party workers on roads in Dir, Swat and Chitral if the government did not review its decision.

GAMES TRIALS: The under-23 game trials began on Tuesday with a function at Timergara Rest House ground chaired by district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan.

Deputy commissioner Sarmad Saleem Akram, district sports’ officer Haji Bahadar Syed, Timergara tehsil nazim Riaz Mohammad and others spoke on the occasion and said local youth had great potential in sports but due to lack of facilities their talent was wasting.

The district nazim and DC promised to take practical steps for construction of a well-equipped stadium near the Timergara city.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2018