LANDI KOTAL: The Khyber Agency administration has initiated a number of uplift schemes in the remote Tirah valley with special focus on development of agriculture in the area.

Political Agent Khalid Mehmud told this scribe that 23 new schools including six for girls would be built in different parts of Tirah while a Type-D hospital along with a number of water supply schemes would be completed by the end of the current year.

“I observed during my recent visit to the valley that it is a very fertile area but unfortunately I could not see a single plot where vegetables were grown. The local people purchase vegetables from Kohat and Peshawar markets,” he said.

The political agent said that he had advised the agency agriculture officer to distribute thousands of packets of vegetable seeds among the local people to promote the culture of kitchen gardening among them.

He said that administration had also devised a plan for growing different fruit trees in Tirah alongside plantation of 10,000 pine trees in the local forest. “It is extremely unfortunate that no one had in the past paid any proper attention to development of the picturesque valley nor had anyone imparted proper training to local farmers for better utilisation of its fertile lands,” he said.

About the reconstruction of damaged houses both in Tirah and Bara plains, Mr Mehmud said that a survey was initiated under the supervision of various committees comprising army officials, a representative of political administration, journalists and local elders, for the purpose.

“The fairness of the ongoing survey can be judged from the fact that the entire data is collected through a computerised process with pictures of the owners right in front of their damaged houses which would clearly show all the damage done to the structure of the house,” he added.

The official said that the survey would be completed by the end of March and its findings would be sent to both Fata Secretariat and Fata Disaster Management Authority for disbursement of compensation to all the affected families.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2016