KOHAT: MPA Ghazan Jamal opened work on a road in Lai Seerhi area of central Orakzai district at a cost of Rs110 million on Monday.

Speaking at a function on the occasion, he said work on construction of different roads was in progress in the area.

On the elders’ demand, the lawmaker also announced a water supply scheme for the area.

He said once constructed the road would help uplift the tourism sector in the area, generating jobs and business opportunities for the tribesmen.

DRUGS SEIZED: The Kohat police seized drugs hidden in gas cylinders and arrested an inter-provincial smuggler at the city railway crossing checkpost on Monday.

DSP city Saadat Khan told reporters that they recovered 451 kilogrammes of hashish and 12kg of opium being taken from Parachinar in a pickup van to down country.

He identified the smuggler as Zawar Ali of Parachinar.

LOADSHEDDING: Residents of Junglekhel on Monday suffered a four-hour-long power suspension from 2pm to 6pm.

They said unscheduled loadshedding had become a routine, adding when they complained to the Peshawar Electric Supply Company officials, they said the supply was suspended from Islamabad. They said the area was subjected to 16 hours of loadshedding in routine.

WATER SUPPLY: District Development Advisory Committee Chairman MPA Ziaullah Bangash has claimed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has released Rs4 billion for storage of water in 11 reservoirs in the six urban union councils of the district to overcome water shortage.

Talking to mediapersons on Monday, he said Water Supply and Sanitation Company had opened tenders for building six overhead tanks and five underground reservoirs.

NO RELIEF IN BUDGET: The people said on Monday that the government had failed to provide any relief to the poor in the federal budget.

Talking to reporters, they said sugar, oil and flour were not available at the utility stores as claimed by the government.

They said the government had made jokes with the poor by announcing a Rs2,000 grant to them per month whereas a tin of five kilogrammes of oil was being sold at Rs3,000.

Kohat Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Haji Rasheed and chairman of Grand Business Alliance Haji Abid said price of 20kg flour bag had jumped to Rs1,600 in the market.

Published in Dawn,June 14th, 2022