Govt asked to pay Rs1b for New Balakot City project

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reportedly refused to pay Rs1 billion for the development of New Balakot City housing project meant for rehabilitation of the October 8, 2005 earthquake survivors.“The Supreme Court in its ruling pronounced on my writ petition in January this year had ordered chief secretary to pay Rs1 billion for development of the residential project but he refused to release this money, creating hurdles in completion of this mega housing project,” Sheraz Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference here on Wednesday.Qureshi, who is one of the 10 members of a committee constituted by the apex court in its Jan 7 judgment, alleged that the chief secretary, who is leading that committee, was not sincerer in addressing problems of the earthquake survivors who still live in makeshift houses in Balakot even after 14 years after the tragedy.“If Rs1 billion is not released to Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority in the light of apex court judgment, I will again move the apex court seeking contempt proceedings against the chief secretary,” said Qureshi.He said that it happened for the first time since the 2005 quake that former chief justice Saqib Nisar visited Balakot and met the survivors in their shelter houses.Qureshi added that in the light of the apex court judgment, work on girls’ degree college in Balakot was completed recently and 28 lecturers and professors were also appointed.“This is a great relief for people of Balakot as the college building is complete and classes would commence from the academic session in June this year,” he said.Shopkeepers protest raids, finesThe business community in Oghi on Wednesday observed a shutdown and staged a sit-in to protest the imposition of heavy fines and raids on shops by the tehsil municipal administration.The traders staged the sit-in at Milad Chowk, demanding action against the assistant commissioner who raided and sealed several shops selling polythene bags.The protesters remained peaceful during the sit-in where office-bearers expressed annoyance at the crackdown launched by the administration before the advent of Ramazan.“The assistant commissioner, Babar Khan Tanoli, sealed the shops and imposed heavy fines on traders, which is unacceptable to us,” stated Sarbuland Khan, the president of traders union.He said that local traders were not responsible for the price hike and inflation in local markets and if the government wanted to stabilise prices of essential items, it should launch crackdown on wholesale markets in megacities wherefrom the traders and shopkeepers purchase the items.The traders ended the sit-in and protest after Shoaib Khan, the president of traders body in Mansehra, and Sarbuland Khan met the assistant superintendent of police and assistant commissioner who ordered unsealing of the shops and revocation of the fines.“Whatever I did was my duty and under the ambit of the law, as the administration cannot allow anybody to receive prices of his own choice,” the official told reporters.

from The News International - Peshawar http://bit.ly/2USVy6P