CHITRAL: Funds of Rs99.76 million meant for construction of a shelter home for women at Booni, the headquarters of Upper Chitral district, have been diverted to some other district as the communication and works department failed to start work on the site according to the given deadline.

In a letter issued from the Peshawar office of USAID to the C&W department authorities, it has been communicated that any work might be carried out by the department at their own risk and cost as the USAID could not ensure availability of the funds.

The letter said that under the KP-Reconstruction Programme, the USAID had approved the project for Upper Chitral district two years ago and work was to be started on the site by September 15 and completed by June 2020, but the executing department failed to follow the timeline.

To start work on the site, the Project Implementation Letter had to be signed with USAID for which hiring of consultant was required to prepare drawing and design and all this should have been done before June this year.

Holding the C&W department responsible for this lapse, the letter stated that repeated reminders to the top hierarchy of the department did not produce any results, leading to missing of the deadline.

The KP-Reconstruction Programme of USAID is scheduled to close down by June 30, so the projects need to be completed by this date.

District Development Advisory Committee chairman Wazir Zada expressed his dismay over shifting of the project from his district. He demanded of senior management of USAID in KP to review the decision as shelter home was urgently needed in the area.

MAN FOUND DEAD: A man from Garam Chashma valley was found dead in Toshi area here on Tuesday.

The deceased, identified as Waqar Ahmed, 28, had married a girl from Dir Koshistan a year ago without her parents’ consent.

Sabira Bibi, mother of the deceased, told police on Saturday that her pregnant daughter-in-law developed some health problems and his son wanted to take her to Chitral city for treatment, but his in-laws took them in their car while she was later on told about the incident.

She alleged that her daughter-in-law had been abducted by her father, Khurshid, and brothers after killing his son. The local police have registered the case.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019