CHITRAL, Oct 1: A sports festival featuring local folk games, including polo, began here on Tuesday, which will continue for ten days.

Chitral deputy commissioner Mohammad Shoaib Jadoon inaugurated the Jashn-iChitral festival during a ceremony.

Chitral Scouts commandant of Colonel Naeem Äbbas was also in attendance.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jadoon said that the sports gala was being held to provide the local people with entertainment opportunities as Shandur festival had been cancelled due to blockade of roads by floods in Gilgit and Chitral.

He said the tourism industry in the area had been closely linked to the sports especially polo and that the holding of the festival would surely attract tourists to the area.

Mr Jadoon said folk games of Chitral also attracted tourists to the region, that`s why his administration had included all the known games in the competition.

He said the polo team of Ghizar Gilgit was also participating in the competition which will give the fans a chance to watch a thrilling match between the rival teams of Gilgit and Chitral.

HOUSING SCHEME OPPOSED: Residents of Morder village of Mulkhow have said that they will oppose construction of a housing scheme in Kaghlusht which was announced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, former MPA Zainul Abidin, Mir Ayub, Saad Rumi, Mehrab Khan and others said the proposed site of the township was a pasture of the local people.

They said there was no need of building a township in upper Chitral and termed the provincial government`s decision unfounded.

They said if the government was sincere in solution to people`s problem, it should pay attention to the dilapidated roads, lack of basic facilities in hospitals and teachers in schools.

They said the district possessed tremendous potential in hydro power generation and that the government should exploit it.