MANSEHRA: The Mansehra district council unanimously approved the Rs530 million annual development programme for the current financial year allocating equal share for the treasury and opposition members.

Both PML-N-led treasury and PTI-led opposition supported the budget after debate.

“This house has no opposition. We all are one. First, we unanimously approved the current fiscal’s budget and now, we’ve unanimously approved the ADP paving the way for the speedy launch of development schemes in the district,” nazim Sardar Said Ghulam told the council.

Convener Ghulam Murtaza Tanoli chaired the session.

Treasury, opposition members get equal share in funds

The nazim said work on scores of development schemes remained suspended in the last financial year and therefore, Rs180 million had been sanctioned in the current ADP for that period, while the rest of the money totaling Rs350 million would go to development projects.

He said Mansehra was among the three districts, which had successfully executed development schemes using their budgetary allocations.

INQUIRY REPORT: A commission formed by the Supreme Court to look into the alleged embezzlement of the 2005 earthquake funds has completed the inquiry and will submit its report to the court by Oct 25.

“We’re going to put up our findings to the Supreme Court before the Oct 25 deadline,” commission member Munir Hussain Lughmani told Dawn on Tuesday.

Earlier, the commission met here and recorded the statements of the representatives of Auditor General of Pakistan, federal planning and development and finance ministries, police department and district administration.

The relevant authorities produced reports on the matter.

Mohammad Zeb Khan, the personal staff officer of the Peshawar High court chief justice, chaired the meeting, which was also attended by other commission members including Qureshi, District Bar Association president Basharat Khan and lawyer Munir Hussain Lughmani.SIT-IN: The people, whose land has been acquired for 4300 megawatts Dasu hydropower project, staged a sit-in in Dasu, the district headquarters of Upper Kohistan, on Tuesday to demand the land’s market price and employment.

The protesters, who held banners and placards and shouted slogans, told reporters that the government and Wapda had signed an agreement with them in two years ago but it had yet to be implemented.

They demanded market price for their land and employment opportunities for locals and warned if the demands weren’t met, the sit-in would continue.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2018