KOHAT: People here have shown concern over increasing dog bite cases and absence of anti-rabies vaccine in the local hospitals.

They said that the number of stray dogs was increasing day by day due to the negligence of the concerned authorities which did not shoot them.

The residents said that the officials of TMA and Water Supply and Sanitation Company, who poisoned dogs recently in some parts like the university area on the complaint of authorities, did not respond to the herds of dogs roaming the city bazaars and streets.

Ittefaq Welfare Organisation chairman Esar Bangah said that in one recent instance around 16 children were bitten by dogs in Ustarzia and when they were taken to the local hospital there was no vaccine.

The civil society has demanded killing of stray dogs and provision of vaccine in the hospitals.

A health official, Rashid Bokhari, told this correspondent that three to four cases of dog bite were reported daily from various parts of Kohat city. He said that they had arranged the vaccine in a limited quantity from the market which was insufficient keeping in view the number of cases. He said that the provincial health department had been requested many times to arrange the vaccine, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, food inspector of cantonment board, Syed Amjid Ali, along with his staff sealed Multani Qulfi, Ghazi Biryani, Peshawari ice cream and fast food for selling unhygienic food. He also sent the samples to the laboratory.

AIOU CAMPUS: Adviser to the chief minister on education, MPA Ziaullah Bangash, has announced that a campus of Allama Iqbal Open University and academy of Rescue 1122 would soon be established in Kohat.

Talking to various delegations at his hujra, he said that 100-kanal land was being acquired in KDA Township for the campus. He said that thousands of students who had to go to Islamabad in connection with various certificate and degree courses to Islamabad would benefit from the campus. He said that the varsity vice-chancellor had given a green signal for the project.

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa academy for training of Rescue 1122 staff would also be established in Kohat, the adviser said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2019