LAKKI MARWAT: The Lakki Marwat district council has asked the communication and works and public health engineering departments to provide details about utilisation of maintenance and repair funds within one week.

The council met here at the district headquarters complex Tajazai on Tuesday to take up the annual developmental programme of the current and previous financial years for discussion.

District naib nazim Haji Arab Khan, being the convener of the house, presided over the meeting, where district nazim Iqbal Hussain Advocate, deputy commissioner Mohammad Shahid Sohail and officials of line departments were also in attendance. Taking part in the debate, the councillors said tube-wells were out of order and rural roads broken in their respective localities, causing problems for the people.

They said bad condition of roads had added to the miseries of transporters and commuters, regretted that despite repeated requests the authorities concerned were reluctant to repair the faulty tube-wells and broken roads.

The councillors also expressed concern over delay in annual developmental programme and asked the district government to address their apprehensions in that regard.

“A tube-well sunk in Mela Mandrakhel village five years ago could not be made functional as yet,” Maulana Bashir Ahmad of JUI-F said, demanding of authorities to direct the public health engineering department to make the water supply scheme functional by providing it with a power transformer. Irfanullah of Jamat-i-Islami said several tube-wells were out of order since long and unannounced and excessive power outages had stressed the people out.

“An important road linking Lakki city with several villages and Indus Highway at Shahbazkhel point is in poor condition,” said Ali Gul, adding that rural roads had deep ditches.

The council turned into a fish market on several occasions as war of words erupted between the members and the chair. A JI councillor Hanifullah and Maulana Bashir Ahmad of JUI-F exchanged harsh words over who should speak first.

District nazim Iqbal Hussain directed the C&W and PHED authorities to share with the council how much maintenance and repair funds they had received and where they were spent. He also asked the heads of other line departments to provide the district council with details about utilisation of funds under different heads.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2018