Industrial estate issue: PHC stays transfer of funds to Kohat DC account

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stayed transfer of funds to an account of the deputy commissioner, Kohat, which had been allocated for the establishment of Small Industrial Estate in Darra Adamkhel three years ago.

A division bench comprising Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah issued the stay order about the transfer of millions of rupees funds to the account of deputy commissioner of Kohat from the account of deputy commissioner of Peshawar.

The bench also sought comments from director-general Small Industrial Estate Department and DC Peshawar for next hearing.

The court passed the order in a writ petition filed by residents, including Muhammad Naeem Afridi and 54 other local traders of Darra Adamkhel, against shifting of funds from the account of Peshawar DC to Kohat DC, seeking an order for the government to complete Small Industrial Estate, Darra Adamkhel.

During the hearing, Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, counsel for the petitioners, submitted before the bench that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor in 2003 had announced the establishment of the industrial estate after examining the stall from traders of Darra Adamkhel regarding various locally made items in an exhibition.

He submitted that after the announcement, five sites were identified and then changed and three PC-1 had been prepared for the establishment of the industrial estate, but work was not initiated due to lack of the required land in the Darra Adamkhel for the Small Industrial Estate.

However, he informed the bench that in 2016, an apex Committee was called, wherein corps commander and governor were also present and it decided that due to lack of required land in Darra Adamkhel, the Small Industrial Estate would be established in adjacent land to the area. The counsel said the land was then identified in Matani area adjacent to Darra Adamkhel and the apex committee approved the site. He submitted that the establishment of the Small Industrial Estate for traders of Darra Adamkhel was also published in the official gazette in 2019 and the amount for its establishment was transferred to the account of DC Peshawar. He said the establishment was later delayed due to the merger of the tribal district and Frontier Regions with the KP.