KOHAT: Nine years after seizing the control of Darra Adamkhel from the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan by the Pak Army, thousands of students are stillforced to study in tents provided by NGOs, as the Taliban had blown up dozens of boys and girls schools in the tribal region.

The TTP had taken over Darra in 2006 and enforced Sharia, banning the teaching of girls by male instructors. They blew up 44 girls and boys schools, majority of them in Tor Chappar, Germany Kalay, Akhorwal and Mazid Khel areas. Tor Chappar was TTP`s headquarters.

When contacted, assistant agency education officer Halbat Khan told Dawn on Tuesday that the rehabilitation of the destroyed schools had been included in the Annual Development Programme.

He said many NGOs and coal mining contractors had also pledged help in this regard, adding a school had also been rehabilitated on self-help basis. He said a damage assessment survey was being conducted in that regard.

Mr Jasim, an official of the project management unit (PMU), told this correspondent that the survey of 20 schools had been completed and a further 24 schools would be covered in the exercise. He said the PMU with the help of NGOs was conducting survey of 710 destroyed or damaged schools.

To a question about delay in rehabilitation of schools, which had forced students to study in tents, he replied that NGOs had provided them tents.

HOUSING SCHEMES: Dr Amjid Ali Afridi, special adviser to the chief minister on housing, has said the government has launched a satellite town in each district under the `own house` scheme.

Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, he said currently there was shortage of nearly three million housing units in the province.

He asked the concerned officials to submit reports about required land, measuring from 500 to 2,000 kanals in every district to the provincial authorities by August 22 so that work on the towns could be started as early as possible.

He said a proposal to provide house financing on easy installments to people was also under consideration.

HASHISH SEIZED: The police seized huge quantity of hashish from a tribesman disguised as preacher at Kohat Friendship Tunnel toll plaza on Tuesday.

The DSP Saddar circle told a press conference that a police team was busy in checking vehicles at the plaza checkpost. During search of a vehicle the police opened the sleeping bag of a preacher and recovered 10 1(ilogramme of hashish.

The accused, Noor Jan, resident of Akhorwal, Darra Adamkhel, was shifted to Riaz Saheed police station.

During preliminary interrogation, he disclosed that he had in the past successfully taken drugs to down country because nobody could suspect him being a whitebearded Tableeghi Jamaat member. Correspondent