SWABI: The Women University Swabi (WUS) had approved Rs746.60 million budget for financial year 2022-23, said Vice-Chancellor Prof Shahana Urooj Kazmi on Wednesday.

She told mediapersons that the budget was approved by the varsity’s senate.

She said the senate also approved Rs22.32 million surplus budget. She said WUS had been financially strengthened with the passage of time.

Ms Kazmi said provincial minister for higher education Kamran Khan Bangash had promised financial support to the varsity.

PLOTS AUCTION: Due to tough conditions not a single person showed interest in participating in the auction of residential and commercial plots in the Shahmansoor Township, sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

The auction was held on Tuesday.

The Swabi Development Authority (SDA) had run a campaign for auction of 14 residential plots of one kanal each and 20 commercial plots, and officials were expecting that there would be rush of buyers like the earlier auction.

However, no one showed up, the sources in the township office said. They said the authority had fetched Rs90 million in the auction held in April.

The starting price of a residential plot was Rs8 million and Rs1 million for a commercial one, the sources said, adding no one was ready to buy a plot for building a shop on lease if the SDA did not give ownership rights at the end.

The sources said there was lack of facilities in the township and the SDA usually imposed unjust fines and charged people for the facilities which were not provided.

Meanwhile, the residents said the biggest issue in the township was a lack of security.

They said there were no streetlights, boundary wall, and cattle and sheep could be seen grazing there. They complained stray dogs always roamed the streets.

When contacted, an official of SDA said decline in people’s financial position was the cause behind not buying the plots.

TOBACCO HARVEST: The harvest of white patta (WP) tobacco, which is mostly used in snuff, started in the district on Wednesday, farmers said.

They said total demand of the companies for the tobacco variety for the current year was 368,000 kilogrammes.

ONE KILLED: Unidentified assailants shot dead a man, namely Hassan Ali belonging to Arkh village of Razaar on Wednesday, rescue officials said.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2022