KOHAT: The revamping of Kohat-Hangu highway has lagged behind its completion schedule of Sept 2018 due to delay in approval of the funds.

Similarly, completion work on widening of one and half kilometre university road also known as Old Indus Highway is taking too long, flying dust in the air and creating pollution.

The work on the 24km-long road between Kohat and Hangu was started in 2016 with an allocation of Rs850 million and was to be completed in three years. Half the period was wasted in removing trees, Pesco and PTCL lines and poles and a small mountain.

Now the work hit the snags as the former government did not pass the budget and left it for the new dispensation.

Project director, Engr Shakir Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority, told Dawn on contact on Wednesday said a huge amount was consumed on payments made to the forest, PTCL and Pesco departments.

The purchase of collective land and diversions from shrines was another big problem, he explained.

About the present status of the highway, he said they had submitted new PC-1 of Rs300 million for inclusion in the new ADP and as soon as the money was released work would be started. He hoped that the road project would be complete in next few months.

PASSING OUT PARADE: Addressing the 69th passing out parade of a contingent of recruits at police training school on Wednesday, Kohat division DIG Captain retired Feroze Shah said that a uniform policy was being made for all ranks of the force to further polish their professional capabilities. A total of 171 recruits completed the training.

Director police training school Syed Mukhtar Shah, director traffic management school, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ibraheemullah Khan, SP Frontier Reserve Police Arshad Tanoli, SP investigations Jehanzeb Khan, parents and other officials were in attendance.

Speaking in his welcome address, the school director said the institution needed instructors of high caliber and more opportunities for the physical and mental growth of recruits through sports and education. DIG Feroze Shah said the recruits should be ready for double responsibility of serving the people and combating crime.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2018