MANSEHRA: For the first time, the Upper Kohistan administration has enrolled more out-of-school girl students than the target set during the recent registration drive in the district.

“As for enrolment of out-of-school children, our district [Upper Kohistan] ranks second in the province,” deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan told reporters on Saturday.

He said the government had set the target of enrolling 451 out-of-school girls, including dropouts, and the district administration surpassed it by enrolling 530 girls due to the education department and district administration’s dedicated efforts, including a door-to-door campaign.

The DC said the same success was recorded among boys.

Education, admin officials honoured for accomplishment

He said the government had set a target of enrolling 3,000 boys, including both new entrants and dropouts, but the administration managed to enrol over 4,000 students across the district.

Mr Khan praised both male and female district education officers for “playing a vital role in bringing children to the school.”

A ceremony was held at the Government Model High School in Dasu to honour education and district administration officials over the successful enrolment drive. EDOs were awarded for their contributions to the drive’s success.

“Although Upper Kohistan is among the districts with the lowest literacy rate in the province, especially among women, this effectively organised campaign enabled us to enrol a record number of boys and girls,” Mr Khan said.

He said that campaigns, seminars and rallies were held to raise awareness among parents and highlight the importance of education in transforming lives and the future of the country.

The DC said the ongoing Dasu hydropower project promised significant employment opportunities to educated youth in the near future.

GAS OUTAGE: The Mansehra city and its suburbs reported a suspension of natural gas supply for over six hours on Saturday after a loaded goods truck crashed into a main gas supply plant, causing it to burst.

“The driver lost control of the truck due to brake failure and hit the roadside gas supply plant outside the Ghazikot Township on the Karakoram Highway,” Sheikh Ghafoor, a nearby CNG station’s employee, told reporters.

He said the truck was en route to Gilgit-Baltistan from Rawalpindi.

“The incident caused a large-scale gas leak, prompting the immediate suspension of the gas supply,” he said.

Mr Ghafoor said officials and a technical team from the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited quickly reached the site and shut off the central valve to prevent further leak.

“Repairs have been completed, leading to the restoration of gas supply to both domestic and commercial consumers in the city and surrounding areas,” he said.

The worker said the CNG stations continued to supply gas to vehicles during the outage.

Hotels and restaurants using LPG cylinders witnessed an influx of people looking for tea and bread amid the sudden gas outage.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2025