KOHAT: The administrative committee of model farms services has complained of complete absence of urea in the market and urged the dealers to ensure timely availability of fertiliser.

The demand was made at a meeting, where the participants also appealed to the executive engineer and SDO irrigation to immediately release water from the Tanda Dam for watering the fields for second time, otherwise the crops would perish.

The meeting was chaired by director agriculture Zahirullah Khattak.

The participants complained that not a single bag of urea was available in the market due to which their crops would be ruined.

The director agriculture informed the meeting that dealers had told him that they had made advance payments to Fauji Fertilizer in Nov, but the consignment had not arrived yet.

The farmers were asked to contact the company’s local office for early release of fertiliser.

SECOND SHIFT IN SCHOOLS: Adviser to the chief minister on education, MPA Ziaullah Bangash, has said a plan was on the anvil to start second shift in all the secondary, high and higher secondary schools. He stressed that there was need to strengthen the existing system instead of constructing more school buildings.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony of inter-high and higher schools tournament on Saturday, he said an MoU was being signed with the sports department to promote extra-curricular activities in educational institutions. He said 5,000 playgrounds would be established in government schools.

MINORITY REPRESENTATION: The provincial president of minority wing of Pakistan Peoples Party has demanded representation of minorities in the provincial cabinet.

Speaking at a Christmas celebration function held at the Salvation Army Church, Pir Naseeb Chand pointed out that there was also no representation of women in the cabinet.

He said the first 100 days of PTI government had exposed its shortcomings with price hike, depreciation of rupee and going to IMF. He claimed PPP was true representative of all the religions and classes of the country.

The participants danced, distributed sweets and sung Christmas songs. The PPP leader gave away Rs15,000 to the church from his pocket.

ILLEGAL CONNECTIONS REMOVED: A team of district administration and Pesco officials disconnected 29 illegal power connections over non-payment of Rs5 million arrears on Saturday.

In the operation led by additional assistant commissioner, Sahibzada Samiullah, Rs175,000 were also recovered from the defaulters and three power thieves were arrested and cases registered against them.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2018