MANSEHRA, April 6: The local anti-corruption establishment (ACE) has booked three officials of Tehsil Municipal Administration, Mansehra, and a contractor for misappropriating Rs1.3 million allocated for the Jabber Davlee water supply scheme.

“We have lodged the FIR against the former tehsil municipal officer, sub engineer, tehsil officer and a contractor, who without executing work on the water supply scheme withdrew Rs1.3 million,” said an anti-corruption official here on Wednesday.

The FIR was lodged on a written complaint of Liaquat Ali Shah of Jabber Davlee. Mr Shah had alleged that without starting work the contractor of the water supply scheme withdrew Rs1.3 million in connivance with the TMA officials.

He said that while the money was embezzled people of the area were still suffering because of none-availability of drinking water.

An official, Qazi Naseem, told reporters that the FIR was registered against the three TMA officials and contractor Mohammad Haroon and raids were being conducted for their arrest. FARMERS WITHOUT SEEDS: Farmers of Battagram have alleged that free of cost seed, wheat and fertilizer sent for them under a foreign-funded project are being sold on the open market.

Speaking at press conference, a group of farmers, including Ghulamullah, Ziarat Shah, Mir Ahmad, Niaz Ali and others, said that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had launched the agriculture development project in Battagram since 2009.

They said that the donor agencies were providing seed, wheat and fertilizer to Community Awareness Rising and Advocacy Venture (Carvan) for free distribution among the local farmers. However, the NGO instead was selling it in the local markets, claimed the farmers.

When contacted, Moha-mmad Murtaza, project director of Carvan, said only those farmers were eligible to receiving seed and fertilizer who registered at the start of the four-year project in 2009.