PESHAWAR, Oct 14: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Standing Committee on Works and Services Department will probe four road projects in Mardan and Swabi districts that have been wiped out soon after opening for traffic.

Awami National Party MPA Ahmad Khan Bahadur and independent lawmaker from Swabi Javed Iqbal Tarkai during question-answer session and through an adjournment motion in the assembly on Thursday said that works and services department and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority had constructed the roads, which developed potholes because of substandard work.

Speaking on his adjournment motion, Mr Tarkai said that the authority had constructed 25-kilometre Addena-Chota Lahor Road at a cost of Rs350 million and Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti inaugurated it in March 2010.

The road, he said, eroded before opening for traffic. He alleged that contractors in connivance with the engineers had used poor material. He stressed to admit the motion for detailed debate in the house.

Mr Bahadur during question-answer session pointed out the bad condition of several roads in Mardan district that had been recently constructed. He said that works and services department had constructed a road from Toru Chowk to Chato Chowk and potholes had surfaced within a week after its opening.

He said that Shago Pull Par Hoti was also in bad shape while another road linking Dang Baba with Jalar Road was in dilapidated condition.

The department spent over Rs100 million on those roads, he said.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain supported the mover and asked chair to refer the case to the committee concerned.

The treasury benches expressed concern over the skyrocketing price hike of edible items and termed it failure of the food department. They said that food department officials failed to control prices. MPA Saqibullah Khan Chamkani pointed that bakers (nanbai) had reduced weight of rooti in the provincial capital.

Law Minister Arshad Abdullah said that food department had collected Rs2.4 million fines from shopkeepers during the last 10 months.

Meanwhile, the law minister opposed a resolution calling for provision of Anti-D vaccines to mothers free of cost. MPA Yasmin Jaseem had tabled the resolution. She said that vaccine helped to prevent the mother's immune system from making anti-D antibodies and offered protection for future pregnancies against rhesus disease.

The minister said that each vaccine cost Rs5,000 and government could not afford it. He said that presently the vaccines were available in Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar. The house passed the resolution with majority.

The house unanimously passed a resolution tabled by Tabassum Younis Katozai regarding complete ban on dowry. She said that dowry was like “cancer” which was also against the teaching of Islam.

Another resolution jointly moved by treasury and opposition benches called for the early reconstruction of Chashma Right Bank Canal, which had severely damaged in the floods.

The resolution asked the federal government to direct Wapda to repair damaged portions of the canal to irrigate thousands of acres agriculture lands in Dera Ismail Khan. —Correspondent

KARAK, Oct 14: The people of Pakistan are with the judiciary and the government will have to pay a heavy price for any confrontation with the judiciary, said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial organiser Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan while speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate party district office here the other day. He asked the rulers to apologise to the nation and bring back the looted money of people of Pakistan.