CHITRAL: The residents of Upper Chitral district have demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to take notice of the stoppage of work on the Booni-Buzund Road, alleging that the contractor had halted the work despite receiving a large sum of Rs90.50 million in advance.

Addressing a press conference here the other day, chairman of Torkhow and Terich Road Forum, Waqas Ahmed Advocate and members Sajidullah Advocate, Shujaul Haq Baig and Torkhow tehsil chairman Mir Jamsheduddin said stoppage of work on the road had infuriated the people.

They alleged that the communication and works department was in league with the contactor and paid him all the available funds without ensuring the completion of work.

They said that the executive engineer of C&W department was a junior officer of grade-17, but he had been posted against grade-18 post by local MPA and deputy speaker of provincial assembly Suraya Bibi.

The residents demanded of the province’s chief executive to look into this huge anomaly in the utilisation of public funds as the 32km road project had not been completed even after the lapse of 15 years.

They warned that thousands of people, including women, would march on the district headquarters, Booni, if the work on the road was not resumed forthwith.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2024