PESHAWAR, July 17: The expensive knitting machines, donated by the Chinese government for militancy-stricken people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been lying unused for the last one year owing to lack of knowledge and expertise on the part of provincial directorate of technical education and manpower.

The poorly-equipped directorate is now looking for experts in the country to operate these machines and other equipment to be installed in various technical and vocational institutions of the province.

China had gifted heavy machinery worth millions of rupees including 10 bulldozers, six excavators, eight trucks, 10 rollers, 20 pieces of heavy knitting machines, 100 computers, electronic equipment and other relief items about one year ago to help people of Malakand, who had suffered due to militancy.

Officials said that Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority, which was created to oversee reconstruction and rehabilitation process in the insurgency-hit parts of the province, had requested Chinese government for provision of assistance and relief goods.

After receiving consignment from China, the authority handed over knitting machines, surface grinder and other equipment to the directorate of technical education and manpower for installation in nine vocational training institutions of the province.

The bulldozers and other machinery were handed over to communication and works department, they added.

The directorate`s officials told Dawn that some equipment were sent to the institutions concerned in Swat, Lower Dir and Malakand districts for installation while heavy machines were dumped at Government Technical and Vocational Centre, Gulbahar Peshawar because of lack of expertise.

Sources said that provincial government had requested Chinese government to send heavy machinery for reconstruction activities and cash assistance to rehabilitate institutions, which were damaged during insurgency.

The Chinese government apart from donating heavy machinery for construction of roads also sent huge consignment carrying 20 knitting machines of industrial specification and other unnecessary goods. One machine weighed 3,000 kilograms, which hampered its transportation to the desired places in Malakand.

Officials said that the directorate needed training-cum-production knitting machines to train manpower while China had sent industrial level machines. “Beggars can`t be choosers. Therefore, we can`t send the machines back to China,” remarked an official. He said the technology had not been introduced in the province so far that was why the directorate was unable to operate these knitting machines.

According to details China had donated 100 computers, TV sets, DVDs, hair drays, printers, 1,200 tents, 3,600 quilts, 100 stools, 40 home sewing machines, 10 pieces of multifunction drawing tables and others items.

Provincial Director General Technical Education and Manpower Asmatullah Khan Gandapur, when approached, said that knitting machines dumped at the technical centre were dispatched to the respective institutions few days ago.

He said that the directorate would have to hire engineers in Faisalabad and Lahore for installation and operation of the machines.

Under the plan eight machines would be installed in the government-run technical institute in Lower Dir, three in Swat and nine at three different centres in Peshawar.