TIMERGARA: Nazims and naib nazims of village councils in Lower Dir on Wednesday demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to empower them or abolish the local bodies in the province.

They made the demand at a meeting at Rahimabad Samarbagh chaired by nazim Dost Rehman.

The village council nazims and naib nazims from Samarbagh, Munda and other parts attended the meeting.

On the occasion, Dost Rehman, Rahim Khan, Fazal Hayat, Salim Khan and others complained that under the existing local government system they had no powers. They said the KP government had been making tall claims about devolution of powers to the grassroots, but on the ground, the village councils’ nazims had no legislative, budgetary or execution powers.

The participants said they were not even heard properly by the government officials. They said they lacked powers to resolve petty issues being faced by their voters. They said they had no funds even for meeting daily expenditures of their offices.

The nazims and naib nazims demanded of the government to equip village councils with powers to execute and monitor small development projects, and also include them in the process of distribution of seeds, fertiliser, health cards and budget making.

The participants warned to block all development projects in their respective areas if their demands were not accepted.

ANTI-ENCROACHMENT DRIVE: The Lower Dir administration on Wednesday launched a weeklong anti-encroachment drive in the district and removed dozens of illegal kiosks and structures near the Timergara bus stand.

Assistant commissioner Ubaidullah Khattak and Timergara tehsil nazim Riaz Mohammad supervised the operation. Tehsil municipal officer Attaullah Khan and DSP Fakhr e Alam were also present. The administration also arrested several drivers for overcharging passengers.

Talking to journalists, Mr Khattak said the operation against illegal taxi stands, roadside encroachments and land grabbing would continue to make Timergara a model city.

PROTEST THREATENED: The Tanzeem-i-Asateza, a teachers’ organisation affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami, has threatened to launch protest campaign if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government didn’t withdraw its decision about appointment of female teachers in all primary schools.

Speaking at a meeting, provincial president of All Teachers Coordination Council Syed Mohammad Shah and others said the government had decided to appoint female teachers in primary schools, thus bowing to pressure by international NGOs. The speakers said the move would deprive thousands of youths of jobs.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2017