MINGORA: The construction of Swat jail could not be completed within the stipulated time owing to shortage of funds, said sources.

At the time of its ground breaking ceremony on August 20, 2017, the then MPA Fazal Hakim Khan had said that the building would be constructed within two years with an estimated cost of Rs707 million and would become operational in August 2019.

However, after passing of two years less than half of the construction work could be done as the contractor of the project told this scribe that only Rs40 million was released to him and then the funds were stopped.

“I have not enough money to continue the construction work. The work will remain stopped until the government releases more funds,” said Sher Ali Khan, the contractor of the project.

The jail was pulled down by the district government after it developed cracks in the 2005 earthquake. Since then, the local prisoners have been sent to Timergara and Buner jails. The Saidu Sharif Prison was built in 1957 during the rule of Miangual Jahanzeb, the last ruler of the princely state of Swat.

The residents of Swat showed concerns over stoppage of work on the project. “When construction work was started during the previous PTI government, we were excited because we understood that the jail building would be constructed within two years. However, the PTI government failed to do so,” said Mehr Ali.

He added that apart from jail, work on other development projects in Swat was also stopped owing shortage of funds.

The local people said that government must release funds for the jail project because lack of jail in district caused problems not only to the prisoners of Swat and Shangla districts but also to the police and officials of district courts.

Deputy Commissioner Sqib Raza Aslam, when contacted, said that the issue was taken up with the secretary finance and secretary home. He said that it was expected that soon the funds would be released to the contractor.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2019