HARIPUR: The district administration has constructed two monuments while work on another three is in progress in different parts of the Haripur city as part of the urban centre’s beautification initiative, says Tabina Tariq, additional deputy commissioner (finance & planning).

Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, she said construction work on the three monuments was scheduled to be completed in next two months.

She said with the approval of the beautification plan by the provincial government, she was tasked with devising the same for Haripur.

“After discussions with senior officials and local political leadership some private firms with expertise in beautification of cities were shortlisted through the e-tendering process,” Ms Tariq said, adding it was decided that five monuments would be constructed at the main points of the city at a cost of Rs30 million.

“These monuments were planned at Shah Maqsood roundabout, Darwesh Chowk, zero point of bypass road, Chechiyan Interchange of Hazara Motorway and Chappar Road.

She said Shah Maqsood and Darwesh Chowk monuments had been completed.

According to her, the Shah Maqsood monument’s theme was the name of Allah, while the book-shaped Darwesh Chowk monument represented love for education as the thoroughfare led to the University of Haripur, Pak-Austria Institute of Science and Technology on one side and Government Postgraduate College for Boys and a private institution to the other.

She said the Chappar Road monument was themed on a ship like boat, indicating the boating activity in Tarbela Lake, while the two others would also represent the specialties of the respective areas.

Ms Tariq said the beautification plan also included construction of roadside drains, removal of encroachments, construction of lavatories, renovation of parks and installation of streetlights.

It may be added that about two weeks ago, the district administration had to remove a monument of a horse-mounted swordsman from the city’s main Chowk that was named after first caliph Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA) after some religious parties raised objection, terming the presence of horseman’s monument as desecration of the name of holly personality.

Some critics found the horseman’s monument resembling the founder of Haripur city Hari Singh Nalva.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2022