Open forum discusses health, education

By Our correspondent

MANSEHRA: Residents of Baffa town and its surrounding areas on Friday discussed their health, education and other issues at an open forum.

“The district administration has acquired agricultural land for Hazara motorway but didn’t pay its price, as a result of which landowners are in the streets protesting against this injustice,” tehsil councillor Tasleem Khan Tanda told the commissioner at the Khuli Kutchehry (public forum). Tanda said that the affected landowners had also met the commissioner, besides holding protest but to no avail.

Hazara Commissioner Zaheerul Islam, District Police Officer Zaibullah Khan, District Nazim Sardar Saeed Ghulam and heads and representatives of lines department also attended the forum. Another complainant said that contractors had left development schemes halfway despite receiving payments but the departments concerned including Tehsil Municipal Administration and Communications and Service Departments were not serious about initiating legal action against them. Nazim Baffa Khurd Rais Khan said that the government, with the financial assistance of the Chinese government, built a hospital but there were neither doctors nor paramedical staff. “Patients are referred to Mansehra and Abbottabad hospitals despite spending huge money on the health facility,” he said.

Zaheerur Islam, in response to the complaints, ordered heads of debarments concerned to address forthwith the problems raised by the residents.