Official assures solution to Balakot residents’ problems

MANSEHRA: The deputy commissioner at an open forum here on Saturday assured people of Balakot to solve their problems.

“The chief minister is taking keen interest in addressing your problems including the New Balakot City housing project and problems being faced by faculty and staff of the girls’ college,” stated Shahrukh Khan, the deputy commissioner, while addressing an open forum in Balakot. Local elders and government representatives attended the forum and raised various issues.

Councillors Babu Ayaz and Niaz Rajput expressed their anger over the delay in allotment of plots to survivor families in the New Balakot City, saying that people had been living in small shelter houses in miserable condition since the devastating earthquake of 2005 but successive governments played politics over the issue.

The deputy commissioner brushed aside the notion of politics on the issue, saying that the district administration on special instructions of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak finalised printing of allotment letters of plots and the process was underway for 10 marla, 15 marlas and one kanal plots. “We are going to give you the possession of plots on completion of documentation process and then you could construct your houses there without any hurdle,” he said.