CHITRAL: The people of Upper Chitral have complained that delay in setting up of the district accounts and treasury offices has adversely affected the working and service delivery of various departments.

Zakir Zakhmi, the convener of Tahreek-i-Huqooq Upper Chitral, told reporters here the other day that although the bifurcation of Chitral district had been made in March 2019 more than 70 per cent of offices had yet to be established in Upper Chitral.

He said the crucial offices of the district accounts and treasury were set up soon after the posting of deputy commissioner to any newly-created district to manage its finances and accounts.

He said presently the officials of various departments travelled to Lower Chitral daily travelling a distance of over 100 kilometres in connection with routine works.

He said the absence of accounts and treasury offices had adversely affected the working and service delivery of the departments of health, education, communication and works and district administration because the related files were sent to Lower Chitral.

Mr Zakhmi regretted that the departments already established in Upper Chitral did not deliver as they were yet to be provided with the resources.

He said the departments of forest, agriculture, wildlife, excise and taxation, finance, social welfare, irrigation, public health engineering, livestock, food and agricultural engineering had no offices in the district, and for obtaining licences of arms, driving and hunting the residents of Upper Chitral had to travel to Lower Chitral.

An official of Upper Chitral administration told Dawn that the post of district accounts officer had been sanctioned and would be filled during the current fiscal year.

He said posting a treasury officer to the district would take a year.

However, he said the district accounts office could not be made functional without treasury office and dependency on the treasury office of Lower Chitral would persist even if the district accounts officer was posted to Upper Chitral.

FOOD PACKAGES DISTRIBUTED: Food packages were distributed among the people affected by the lockdown in different parts of Chitral, including Drosh, Chitral town, Mori Lusht and Booni of Upper Chitral.

Senator Talha Mahmood, chairman of Talha Mahmood Foundation, along with JUI-F local chapter leaders, including MPA Maulana Hedayatur Rahman and Maulana Abdur Rahman, distributed the packages to the needy people.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2020