PESHAWAR: Khyber Contractors Association has threatened to stop work on various development projects in the tribal region if authorities fail to release funds to them till July 15, 2017.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Khyber Contractors Association president Badshah Khan Afridi said that a number of development schemes were in progress in the agency but they would stop work on the projects as authorities were not releasing funds for the purpose.

He said that during the current financial year, only 10 per cent funds were released for various projects in Khyber Agency and 90 per cent were yet to be released. He said that contractors were executing schemes of more than eight departments including irrigation, education, health, public health engineering, etc but Fata Secretariat was not releasing funds for the purpose.

Mr Afridi alleged that Fata Secretariat approved funds for only those contractors, who offered bribe to the officials concerned. He said that the discriminatory policy had not only affected contractors but also development work in Khyber Agency.

Flanl(ed by KCA general secretary Gul Ahmad Afridi, Sohbat Khan Afridi and may other colleagues,Mr Afridi said that contractors could not continue work on the projects in the absence of funds that resultantly delayed a number of schemes in parts of the agency, especially in Bara and Tirah.

The KCA chief said that work on project s was allowed for only three months in Tirah valley because schemes could not be executed there in the winter season. He feared that the schemes would face delay in the valley till next year if funds were not released to them immediately.

Mr Afridi said they had written a letter to Fata additional chief secretary for a meeting, but they didn`t receive any reply so far. He alleged that Fata additional chief secretary and Fata chief engineer were responsible for delay in completion of projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Sohbat Khan Afridi said that contractors paid 18 per cent additional amount as bribe for approval of funds.

He said that they would not pay further commissions till release of first quarter of funds to them. He said that more than 140 schools in Bara were still awaiting reconstruction.

The KCA leaders urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to issue directives for release of funds so that the ongoing projects in Khyber Agency could be completed timely.

They said that contractors would not only stop work on ongoing schemes but they would also stage protest demonstrations outside Fata Secretariat and Governor`s House in Peshawar if authorities failed to release funds to them till July 15.