Muhammad irshad ullah
BOONI: Residents of Torkhow and Terich staged a protest march to Booni against the inordinate delay in the completion of the Booni-Buzund road and alleged large-scale corruption in the utilisation of project funds.
Organized under the banner of the Torkhow-Terich Road Forum (TTRF), the march on Booni followed several days of local protests. Hundreds of residents marched towards Booni, culminating in a sizeable protest in the main bazaar.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the protesters accused the Communication and Works (C&W) Department of disbursing Rs150 million in advance to the contractor despite the absence of any substantial work on the ground.
They lamented that construction on the road had commenced in 2010, yet the project remains unfinished, blaming gross financial irregularities. The protesters alleged that C&W officials, the contractor, and certain political figures were complicit in the misappropriation of funds.
Chants were raised against the deputy speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, district officials, and the C&W department. The Booni-Shandur road was blocked for all kinds of traffic as the demonstrators began a sit-in.
According to officials, negotiations between the protesters, district administration, and C&W department were ongoing at the time of filing this report.