MANSEHRA: The Mansehra tehsil council has approved over Rs260 million annual development programme amid protest by some members against the ‘unfair’ distribution of funds.

The house, which met with convener Mohsin Waqar in the chair, approved the current financial year’s ADP with a majority vote. Nazim Asif Tanoli presented the ADP details claiming that all council members were given equal share in development funds. He said the development schemes submitted by members would soon be executed after the completion of tendering and other necessary procedures.

Raja Ayaz of the PML-N and Fiaz Khan of the PTI complained about ‘unfair’ distribution of funds and failure of the tehsil municipal administration to deliver the goods.

“We are going to challenge this ADP in the court of law as it is based on mala fide intent. This is meant to deprive most members of due share in funds,” Fiaz insisted.

Mr Ayaz said the tehsil administration hadn’t done anything to address to the residents’ core issues.

PML-N councillor Zahid Hafiz tabled a resolution seeking the purchase of a 1300cc car for the tehsil municipal officer. “The government has banned the purchase of vehicles over 1000cc for government officials but this house should approve my resolution seeking 1300cc car for TMO,” he said. The house passed the resolution.

It also approved another resolution seeking dissolution of all previous monitoring committees on ‘failure to address people’s issues and provide civic services’ to them.

MAN KILLS WIFE: The police held three men for killing a woman in Daro area of Oghi tehsil here on Tuesday.

The police later recovered the body of Gul Bano, mother of five, from a forest.

Gulzar Bibi complained to the police that her daughter, Gul Bano, was killed by husband Naseem Khan in the forest where he took her to by deception with the help of his brothers. A police team led by the Oghi SHO later seized the body and shifted it to the Oghi civil hospital, whose doctors handed it over to the family after fulfilling medicolegal formalities. The police arrested three suspects, including Naseem Khan.

KKH REOPENED: The Frontier Works Organisation cleared the Karakoram Highway of boulders on Tuesday evening. The highway was blocked in Kamila area of Upper Kohistan district due to heavy landslide on Monday night.

The commuters and motorists stranded on both sides of the highway later left for their respective areas.

The KKH has seen a huge influx of vehicles plying between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the recent blockade of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road due to heavy snowfall in Kaghan valley.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2018