District govt accused of failing to check prices, transport fares

CHITRAL, March 8: The inefficiency and failure of the district administration in controlling prices of the commodities of daily consumption and the transport fares on different routes were the most repeated complaints in a press forum held here on Saturday by Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment (DTCE). The chairmen of different public safety committees of the union councils of Chitral subdivision complained that fixing of prices by the district price control committee was just a farce practice which was never acted upon by the traders. Altaf Gauhar advocate, Sajidullah advocate, Hassan Khan, Hussain Jan, Zahid Alam, Fazle Elahi, Mir Shah, Rizwanullah advocate and others said that the commuters on Chitral-Peshawar route are also left at the mercy of transporters who fleece them. The truancy of female teachers in the government schools was also repeated by the participants of the forum who said that the non-local lady teachers never bothered to attend their schools but the officers of the department are total indifferent to the situation. The participant from Ashiret union council recalled that when he complained about the absence of lady teacher in his village for the last five years, the officers of education department came to the village to conduct inquiry against the teacher but she is still absent. The indifference of communication and works (C&W) department towards the dilapidated condition of Chitral-Booni road was also complained of which, they said, connected the lower part of Chitral with the upper one leading to Broghil Pass and Gilgit-Baltistan. A participant from Lotkoh valley, said that the government seemed to have abandoned roads in the district as they are left without repair and maintenance despite the fact that due to its peculiar topography, the roads are vulnerable to the natural disasters. Earlier, community empowerment round table (CERT) was held in which the lawyers provided legal advice to the participants to remove the impediments in the course of development activities in their respective union councils. The chairman of Legal Aid Program for Human Rights, Niaz Ali Shah said that DTCE was encouraging the decentralization of powers on grass root level and has provided the people with opportunities in the forum of press forum and CERT.–Zahiruddin]]>