CHITRAL: The residents of Mastuj tehsil are divided over creation of new district through bifurcation of Chitral for resolution of their issues.

Some of the local people said that instead of setting up a new district, two more tehsils should be created in Upper Chitral. They said that only a new district would not solve their problems.

The bifurcation of the district into two -- Lower Chitral and Upper Chitral -- had been announced by the then chief minister Parvez Khattak in November 2017. A notification in this regard was issued in December last. However, practical steps for the newly created district of Upper Chitral are yet to be taken.

Some of the residents of the area said that time was not ripe for creation of new district so two new tehsils should be carved out in Torkhow and Mastuj Khas. They said that facilities in all sectors of development and social service should be provided to those tehsils.

They said that a huge amount of Rs5 billion was required for providing infrastructures to the new district. “It will take at least half decade to complete the project during which the people will suffer badly as witnessed in Torghar and some other newly created districts,” they added.

Tanvir Ali, a former councillor, said that posting of deputy commissioner, district police officer and some other officers would not solve the problems unless infrastructure was developed including a district headquarters hospital with provision of all facilities.

Mr Ali said that Upper Chitral district would embrace an area of about 8,000 square kilometers where people residing in remote valleys of Baroghil, Yarkhoon, Laspur, Rech, Khot, Oveer, Terich and Melp would benefit from the newly created tehsils in Mastuj Khas and Torkhow.

“The heavy funds meant for the new district can be utilised for establishment of a tehsil headquarters hospital, road infrastructure, water supply schemes, suspension bridges over the rivers and streams and strengthening of rural healthcare facilities.

“In the proposed local government system, the district tier is being abolished rendering tehsil as the highest tier and in such scenario most of the business of the government will be dealt at tehsil level instead of district,” said Mr Ali.

He said that as far as development fund for the proposed new district was concerned, it would hardly make a difference as the distribution of resources was made on the basis of population by the provincial finance commission.

Dr Inayatullah Faizi, former project manager of IUCN in Chitral, however, said that the new district was inevitable for its development as its deputy commissioner will act as focal person to establish linkage with the government to seek funds for development.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019