MANSEHRA: The contractor of Khatain da Galla toll plaza on the Karakoram Highway here has delayed action on his announcement of 100 per cent increase in the Rs30 tax from August 1.

The development came after transporters threatened a wheel-jam strike against toll hike.

“Our strike threat made the toll plaza contractor postpone tax increase,” transporters association president Jan Alam told reporters here on Wednesday.

Accompanied by other association leaders, Mr Alam said the National Highway Authority, which had contracted with a private company to collect toll, had miserably failed to blacktop the Karakoram Highway and other roads in the district, so how it could even allow an increase in fee collected from vehicles passing through the toll plaza.

Association general secretary Pervez Khan Swati said all major arteries, including Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and KKH, were in a highly dilapidated condition.

He said during a recent visit to our district, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered the blacktopping of all main arteries, but the orders awaited action.

SCHOLARSHIPS: The Helping Hand Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences will provide scholarships to the children of martyred, serving and retired police officers and personnel.

HHIRS director (operations) Dr Bahadar Shah and additional superintendent of police Mohammad Jamil signed the MoU documents during a special ceremony here on Wednesday.

Dr Shah said the HHIRS was also taking part in charity and other welfare programmes in the region.

He said his institute would serve police officials along with their families for protecting public life and property.

District police officer Irfan Tariq, who was also in attendance, praised the HHIRS for helping rehabilitate the people, who were injured by the 2005 earthquake, as well as victims of other emergencies.

He said the police had established a service delivery centre for the families of martyred police officers and personnel.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2022