SWABI, March 20: A dispute between the Tehsil Municipal Administration and the Frontier Education Foundation Degree (Girls) College of Topi over the rest-house of the former International Regional Development Project (IRDP) has taken a serious turn after the college’s management claimed that it belonged to them while the TMA sent a letter seeking payment of Rs591,000 and calling for vacating the rest house immediately.
Sources told Dawn on Monday that although 34 months have passed, the rest-house’s mutation in the name of the college had not been completed and that had created a controversy. They said that the rest house was located in an area that had been promised to the college, which is in possession of a certificate given by the district coordination officer.
The sources said that the college possessed only 43 kanal and 1 marla land out of a total of 56-kanal property promised to the college, which is yet to be handed over to its administration.
The college’s principal had been living in the three-room rest house along with other staff.
The IRDP building and the rest house had been constructed with the USAID at a time when a campaign for eradication of poppy cultivation was in full swing in the Gadoon Amazai area. The operation as well as other programmes aimed at poppy cultivators were financed by Washington at that time.
A letter made available to this correspondent had been received by the college’s principal on March 14, in which the Tehsil Municipal Officer said: “You (college management) have illegally occupied the Tehsil Municipal administration Swabi rest-house situated in Topi since a long time without paying any rent etc in this connection, several notices have been issued to you for the vacation of the said building but you always turned deaf ears for the same and still you are residing illegally in the rest house”.
The TMA threatened the college administration of legal action if they did not pay Rs591,000 at the rate of Rs600 per day rent without any further delay and vacate the building within a week’s time.
The letter was also dispatched to the district nazim, district police officer and director of the FEF, NWFP. It called upon the authorities concerned to deduct the entire amount from the salary of the college’s principal and deposit in the TMA’s account.
In the certificate of handing and taking over possession of IRDP building the then District Coordination Officer, Dr Jamal Nasir, wrote that he had handed over “the possession of the building of IRDP (district government) along with the uncovered area and within the boundary walls of the building and installation and along with (56-kanal area) to the Frontier Education Foundation from May 21, 2003 for the purpose of FEF Degree College for Girls.”
He said that prior to this date, the district government was responsible for all utility charges and other liabilities, but after the handing over, the FEF would be responsible for utility charges of the acquired building.
“The building of IRDP (district government) is freed from all types of encumbrances,” he said
The district government claimed that the college was built on the district government property and the TMA was making unjust demand.
A letter by the former district nazim, Jehan Zeb Khan, said that the rest house was the property of the district government and not the TMA.”