MANSEHRA: The residents of Kolai-Palas district have alleged that officials of the Palas tehsil municipal administration and the contractorhadembezzledRs25 million fundsmeant for theconstructionof the Batara Bala-Bala Road.

Accompanied by a group of the residents of different villages, member of the district dispute resolution councilSadbarKhan told reporters on Monday that the government had earmarked Rs25 million for the road scheme but the contractor working hand in glove with the TMA officials embezzledthe moneyand didn’t do any work on the proposed three kilometers road.

He said the road project was approved in 2017 and even the government released Rs25 million funds for it.

Villager AyubKulochsaid local government secretary had formed a committee led by the Abbottabad TMO to look into the matter on the people’s complaint.

Palas residents demand action against officials, contractor

“Though the committee visited the area in Feb this year, neither the work began nor were the relevant TMA officials and contractor taken to task,” he said.

He demanded strict action against the relevant officials and contractor.

LAND GRABBING: A resident has demanded of the prime minister and chief minister to intervene for the recovery of land allegedly occupied by the communication and works department.

“My father had bought a piece of land measuring one kanal from the money he received on retirement from the police department but the communication and works department illegally occupied it and built offices on it,” Shakeel Hussain Shah, a resident of Safada area, told reporters here on Monday.

He said the Supreme Court had directed the chief engineer of the communication and works department in 2018 to vacate that land, but to no avail.

ACCOMPLISHMENT: The elementary and secondary education secretary has given away an award to Mansehra’s district education officer (female) Nagmana Sardar over the best performance in the province.

She told reporters here on Monday that the ‘district performance evaluation’ was carried out by the elementary and secondary education department through a third party regarding quality indicators under the student learning outcomes, effective teachers, environment and practices, Covid-19 response, school leadership, and district governance and management.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2021