KOHAT: Reconstruction work of the women and children hospital, Kohat, has hit snags as only Rs10 million has been set aside for it in the Annual Development Programme out of its original cost of Rs1.70 billion.

Sources in the communication and works department told this correspondent that the contractor had set up a mixer plant at the project site at a cost of Rs25 million from his own pocket.

They said that according to the tender the scheduled completion time of the new building was only one year, but if the funds were released in small amounts the project could not be completed even in a decade.

The C&W officials said that the main problem faced by them in the construction of the hospital was funds shortage.

SDO Zahid Khan said that parking for 150 vehicles had been made for the hospital staff, while five-kanal space was allocated for private vehicles. Brushing aside rumours about absence of latrines, he said there were six for women and as many for men, which were sufficient.

When contacted and asked about the parking and latrines, medical superintendent of the hospital Dr Gule Rana said she had also called SDO Zahid Khan after hearing social media reports about that and was satisfied now. Mr Zahid said that according to the rules no new building or plaza could be constructed without parking space and latrines.

SOLARISATION OF MOSQUES: The government has identified about 130 mosques for solarisation in Kohat which will cost Rs40 million.

As many as 95 mosques had been selected in the city constituency of PK-82 of CM’s adviser MPA Ziaullah Bangash, 15 in oil-producing PK-81 and 20in PK-80.

Answering a question, PRO to Ziaullah Bangash said they had appointed focal persons in every constituency to collect data of mosques for solarisation and they had finalised 130 of them.

MPA Shahdad Khan regretted that there was 12-hour power loadshedding in the oil-producing area of Shakardarra from which companies and the government were earning billions of rupees. He said that the local people were poor and could not afford solar system.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2020