KOHAT, March 7: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani is reported to have asked the works and services secretary to transfer staff of a road and building sub-division from Kohat to his home constituency Bannu , where work on a Rs2 billion development scheme is facing delay because of shortage of technical staff.

Executive District Officer (works) Jehangir Khan when contacted confirmed the report and said that the provincial government had proposed that the entire set-up of a sub-division might be transferred to Bannu for the early completion of several road projects.

A final decision in this regard would be taken by the deputy director of communications and works, Kohat, in consultation with the district coordination officer. It is learnt that despite the allocation of huge funds in Bannu by the MMA government for uplift projects, work on many schemes was six to eight months behind schedule.

If transferred before June, officials would draw their salaries from Kohat district. Their transfer would affect the roads repair work in Kohat as the district government planned to repair all main roads which had not been repaired for the past five years.

The tehsil municipal officer said the tehsil administration planned to float tenders for repair of roads as soon as the cost of new projects was worked out. Meanwhile, the Kohat chapter of the All Pakistan Clerks Association, in a statement criticized the plan to transfer staff from Kohat to Bannu, saying that it would increase financial problems of the low-income employees.

APCA President Pir Farooq Shah suggested that projects in Bannu would take years to complete, therefore, the provincial government should create a new sub-division for Bannu and induct fresh staff which would also help a large number of jobless people to get employment.

He appealed to the NWFP works and services secretary, MPAs from Kohat and the district nazim to raise their voice against the plan because the low-grade employees of the local government could not bear more financial burden and shift to new place along with their families.