SHANGLA: Former members of Shangla village councils have demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to release their pending funds of 2018-19 annual development programme to help them complete the delayed projects.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, they said work order of the projects had been approved, but the contractors were reluctant to start executing the schemes because of non-payment of funds.

“Six months have passed since the 2018-19 ADP schemes were tendered, but the contractors have yet to begin work for want of funds,” Guldad Khan, a former village council nazim, said.

Shahid Anwar Khan, former Butyal-III village nazim, said first the funds were delayed owing to transfer of assistant director local government, and now the contractor was reluctant to launch work on the projects.

He said the contractor should begin work on the schemes, for which half of funds had been released.

When contacted, deputy commissioner Imran Hussain Ranjha told Dawn that some projects were in progress and some would be tendered soon. He, however, said he would check if some schemes were being delayed despite approval of funds.

LIVESTOCK DISEASE CONTROL: The second phase of the ‘control of livestock diseases of economic importance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ was launched in Alpuri on Saturday.

Project director Dr Ahmad Kamal, district director Dr Hazrat Hadi and officials of the livestock department and farmers attended the inaugural function.

On the occasion, Dr Kamal said the objective of the scheme was to control the common and fatal infectious diseases of livestock and poultry. Efforts are being made to vaccinate, de-worm and treat all the animals and backyard poultry for reducing the diseases risks and economic losses, he said, adding the current campaign, which started on Oct 10, will continue till Nov 30.

He asked the farmers and livestock owners to get maximum benefit from the scheme.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2019