Opposition responsible for delay in rehabilitation work: PTI

CHITRAL: Rehabilitation work on water supply network damaged in floods in Reshun village of Upper Chitral has been delayed on the direction of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), local sources told ChitralToday.

They said tenders had been floated for the projects and work was to be started this week. However, some workers of political parties, including candidates for the upcoming local government elections, complained to the ECP that the ruling PTI was using the development funds as a bribe to garner support.

When contacted, PTI Upper Chitral information secretary Syed Mukhtar Ali Shah Advocate confirmed to ChitralToday that start on the development work had been delayed. He said the local PTI leadership had tried and got the funds released but the opposition played its negative role in stopping work on it.

He said the government had released funds for the reconstruction of water channels damaged by floods and construction of protection walls in Reshun. These included 11 civil irrigation channels in Reshun, construction of a flood protection wall along Reshun Gol and flood protection work along the Yarkhun river in the village.

Mr Shah said now work could be started on the projects after the conclusion of the elections and by then the water volume in the channels and river would increase making it difficult for the completion of the work.

He said the opposition parties were responsible for the delay in the public welfare work and in case of further damages in the village they would be held responsible.He said the parties should give consent to tarting the development work for the betterment of the area people.

However, a local leader of the PML-N said that the government could not initiate work on the rehabilitation of the water supply network in the flood damaged village for years and now when the elections were approaching local leaders of the PTI became active and tried to use the funds for political purposes.

He said under the rules, no development fund can be released or any development project announced or launched before the election.