SHANGLA: The local people have said that 170 schools, demolished by Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) after developing cracks due to earthquake some 12 years ago, are still awaiting reconstruction.

They were speaking at a gathering organised by Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed Khan at Government Degree College Alpuri here on Thursday. MPA Shaukat Yousafzai, Alpuri tehsil nazim Mohammad Tahir Khan, naib nazim Shaukat Ali, local leaders of various political parties and heads of line departments also attended the meeting.

The local people said that ban on cutting of forest for domestic use was major problem for them as the district was not provided with the facility of liquefied petroleum gas. `The forest department should stop imposing fine on the people, who carry firewood for domestic use. It should catch only timber smugglers,` said district councillor Intikhab Alam.

Another participant said that provincial government should do away with the condition of MPAs inrecruitment of Class-IV employees at the local government offices.

Some local government representatives said that they had not received salaries and funds for office expenditures for the last one year.

The locals demanded installation of solar lights in the Alpuri mosques besides setting up washrooms and constructing boundary walls.

Former senator Maulana Rahat Hussain demanded installation of street lights and setting up public toilets, bus stops and waiting rooms along the roads in the district.

MPA Shaukat Yousafzai announced Rs1 million for water supply scheme for government degree college Alpuri and said that the issues related to provincial government would be discussed with the authorities concerned.

Advocate Naeem Khan criticised that tehsil municipal administration for not not keeping Alpuri Bazaar clean. The deputy commissioner assured the participants that he would send the issues discussed in the meeting to the provincial government and would make efforts for their immediate resolution.Correspondent