MANSEHRA: The tehsil municipal administration, Mansehra, has cut a large number of trees at a prime mountainous location in the city limits here to construct a public park.

“We are not against the establishment of the park as the city is without any recreational facility, but cutting trees on such a large scale has greatly damaged the environment and nature,” Hakim Khan, a local, told reporters.

He said because of the ill-planning of the TM more trees were going to be felled which would destroy natural beauty and environment of the area.

“The felled trees should have been made part of the park to give it a natural look,” he said.

The TMA, according to official sources, has been establishing the park at a piece of land measuring 69 kanals owned by the district administration.

“We have signed an agreement with the TMA for constructing the park as both the government entities will share the revenue generated through this facility,” Sardar Said Ghulam, the district nazim, said on contact.

The chir (pine) and deodar trees, which were brought down through an excavator, can be seen along the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road.

Another citizen, Sheyrar Khan, demanded of the provincial government to immediately halt work and redesign the park to include matured trees into it.

DISTRICT STATUS SOUGHT FOR TANAWAL: Former provincial minister Habibur Rehman Tanoli has opposed the inclusion of Tanawal in the proposed Oghi district, which was approved by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, last week.

“We are not against making Oghi as a district but will oppose division of Tanawal for this purpose,” he told a press conference in Lassan Nawab on Sunday.

He said people and politicians had been struggling for making Tanawal as a district for last two decades and time was not far when their efforts would bear fruit.

“I ask PTI government to respect sentiments of Tanawal people and notify a separate district for them instead of including its parts in proposed Oghi district,” said Mr Tanoli.

TWO DRUG PEDDLERS HELD: The police on Sunday seized five kilogrammes of charas and arrested two narcotics peddlers in Oghi.

The seizure was part of an ongoing campaign against narcotics peddling launched across Mansehra district by DPO Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari, last week.

The contraband was seized in two raids in Darband area by a police party led by SHO Oghi Ghulam Mustafa. Two drug smugglers, Sheikh Fareed and Mohammad Shabir, were arrested.

WARM WELCOME: Newly-elected president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council Fida Mohammad Khan Zeenatkhel was given a warm welcome on his arrival on Sunday.

Mr Zeenatkhel thanked the lawyers’ fraternity for extending him a warm welcome, saying he would leave no stone unturned in serving the community.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2018