MANSEHRA: The local administration on Thursday evicted illegal occupants from a primary school in Shania Bala area here.

The illegal occupation of the building continuing for over six years had forced the school’s children to get education in a rented building.

“We have taken back the possession of the school building, which was put up by the Unicef in 2010 but had been illegally occupied by local landlord Allauddin since. Now, the school will have regular classes,” additional assistant commissioner Zakir Hussain Jadoon told reporters here.

Mr. Jadoon said illegal occupants were settled by the landlord in all rooms and that they’re evicted by a joint team of different departments led by him and consisting of deputy superintendent of police Shinkiari Nazir Khan and district education officer Nisar Khan.

He said assistant commissioner Naveed Ahmad had ordered eviction from the school at the request of local residents and education department.

The official said the school was destroyed in the 2005 earthquake and the Unicef had pledged to rebuild it but landlord Allauddin suggested to the education department that the school be rebuilt on his five kanals land before he takes over the calamity-hit building.

“The suggestion was accepted. However, when the earthquake-resistant building was put up in 2010, the landlord occupied it by force instead of fulfilling commitment,” he said.

Mr. Jadoon said the school’s illegal occupation led to the running of the classes in a rented private building.

“Now, we have handed over the school building to the education department and asked it to begin classes,” he said.

PESCO OFFICES TO BE BESIEGED: The local government representatives of Malikpur and Shaukatabad union council have threatened to besiege the Pesco offices and grid stations over the excessive loadshedding.

District councillors of Malikpur Kashif Khan and Jamil Tanoli told reporters here on Thursday that Pesco had subjected the people in the area to around 18 hours loadshedding daily.

“I warn Pesco to mend its ways and stop the prolonged power outages on our feeder otherwise we’ll besiege the Pesco offices and grid station in the district,” he said.

He criticised the federal government for failing to fulfil its promise of ending loadshedding in the country.

Councillor Tanoli also said subjecting the people, who regularly paid bills, to the excessive loadshedding was unfair and therefore, the government should ensure corrective measures to prevent agitation.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2016