KOHAT: The faculty members and students have demanded of the government to reopen the fine arts department in the Kohat University of Science and Technology, which was closed by the administration on the pretext of funds’ shortage.

Liauqat Ali Khan, chairman of the department and acclaimed artist, told Dawn on Wednesday that principal secretary to the chief minister, Shahzad Bangash, was angry over the closure of the department despite the fact that the university had recently been paid Rs100 million funds. He said Mr Bangash also took up the issue with vice chancellor Dr Fida Younis, but the latter remained adamant to keeping the department closed.

Mr Liaquat alleged that the vice chancellor once summoned him to his office and misbehaved with him over why lawmakers were directly meeting him bypassing him (the VC).

The department was closed over shortage of funds

He said he was working on complimentary basis for only Rs20,000, adding due to closure of the department four faculty members had become jobless and dozens of students had been deprived of their dream subject. He said the students wanted to stage protests and go to court but he stopped them from doing so as it would cause embarrassment for him.

Mr Liaquat said former vice chancellor Dr Lutfullah Kakakhel had requested him to work in the university and open the department of fine arts after he was impressed by his paintings at an exhibition.

IRRIGATION WATER: District irrigation reforms officer Bakhat Ali Khan has said that under a World Bank initiative, 13 huge water storage tanks and nine water courses have been established in water-scarce areas of the district so poor farmers can have sufficient water for irrigating their lands.

Talking to various delegations of farmers on Wednesday, he said the initiative was part of National Programme for Improvement and Preservation of Water Resources and Small Dams Projects to help resolve major problems of farmers and increase per acre yield in the vast rain-fed parts of the district.

He said despite limited resources the department was trying its best to stop wastage of water and conserve it for irrigation, adding it had constituted 368 committees comprising eight to 10 farmers to prevent water wastage.

He said the department had received 546 applications from farmers whose projects had been approved after site visits by the sub-engineer and water management officer.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2019