River protection wall: Probe into poor quality work demanded

CHITRAL, June 12: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders including Islamuddin, Rahmanuddin and Mohammad Sharif Khan have demanded a high-level inquiry into the substandard construction of the retaining wall of Garam Chashma road which failed to withstand even the low flooding in the river after six months of its completion. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, they said the 200-metre-long retaining wall had been erected by the communication and works department at a cost of millions of rupees to save the local hospital and a thermal power station from being washed away by the river. The wall, they said, did not endure the rising tides of water and was washed away as a result of which the road and the hospital have been inundated by river water and it may cause further damage to the hospital as well as the power house when the level of water in the river will rise. The PTI leaders were highly critical of the corrupt practices of the previous government which patronized corruption in the province and squandered the funds meant for development sector leaving the projects incomplete or substandard. They expressed their determination that the PTI government will bring an end to the unholy relation between the contractors and engineers of public works department.–Zahiruddin  ]]>