KOHAT: A Turkish company formally started sanitation work by lifting all garbage from the city squares and KDA Town ending over a year-long controversy between the tehsil government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPs on Thursday.

The task of cleanliness and water supply has been finally handed over to the Turkish Water Supply and Sanitation Company (WSSC) following signing of an agreement among the WSSC, tehsil municipal administration and Kohat Development Authority.

PML-N’s tehsil nazim Malik Taimoor told a press conference on Thursday that all credit went to former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti who had launched the project in 2010.

He said that transfer of the sanitation and water supply staff and machinery from the TMA and KDA to the company had been completed. He said that if somebody had a problem of sanitation and water supply in any area they could contact the company. He said that the company manager, Mr Naeem, should be contacted if any problem was not resolved within 24 hours of the complaint.

He said that 40 sweepers had been kept by TMA who would perform duties at the old bus stand and vegetable markets.

Tehsil nazim gives credit for the project to former CM Hoti

Sanitation inspector Sohail Ahmed said that the required machinery and staff would be available by next two to three weeks.

MPA Ziaullah Bangash, meanwhile, confirmed that the transfer of Rs75 million grant had been completed. He told this correspondent on phone that the handing over ceremony was held at the CM House which was attended by the WSSC board of directors, its chief executive Arif Rauf, Kohat commissioner Musarrat Hussain, tehsil nazim and other relevant officials.

Answering a question, he said that advertisements had been placed for hiring 600 sanitation staff. The agreement would also result in the transfer of Rs30 million monthly sanitation fund of the TMA to WSSC from now on.

HANGU HIGHWAY: The dualisation of Kohat-Hangu highway, a Rs2 billion project, has hit snags due to shortage of funds which could delay its completion beyond the deadline of Dec 2018.

The project started in Dec 2015 by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority had received the funding of just Rs300 million and the officials had been demanding immediate release of Rs200 million more for keeping the project running.

The KPHA officials had a meeting with commissioner Musarrat Hussain on Thursday who assured them that he would talk to the provincial government in this regard. He was also told that the delay in the relocation of electricity poles, PTCL and water lines and removal of trees was hindering the project.

When contacted, project director Engineer Shakir said that the Kohat-Hangu road project had been divided into equal parts by awarding contracts of each six kilometers to separate contractors, but it was facing hurdles due to delay in the release of funds.

He also said that the Kohat-Hangu road would remain closed from 9:00pm to 6:00am for a month from Friday (today) due to blasting of a mountain near Juzara section.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2017