MANSEHRA: The district education department (female) has filled 140 vacancies of women teachers at schools in Mansehra.

The appointments were made on the orders of district education of ficer (female) Rehana Yasmin.

`We have issued letters of appointment to 140 women teachers to schools in the district. They all passed the National Testing Service`s written tests last month,` Yasmin told reporters here on Monday. The DEO (female) also said 121 primary teachers would be appointed soon.

`We are finalising the appointment of women primary teachers and the process will be over soon leading to the issuance of letters of appointment for these posts,` she said.

The DEO said the effective monitory system and frequent surprise visits by her staff members had ended absenteeism among schoolteachers.

`We are striving to further cut the dropout rate among girl students at primary school level considering the women`s education to be vital for the future of families,` she said.

NO CHANGE IN PROTEST PLANS: the committees constituted by the people affected by Suki Kanari hydropower project have refused to change its plans to indefinitely block the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road after July 6 to claim market price for their land.

Former PML MPA from Balakot Mazhar Ali Qasim had requested the committee to prefer dialogue to agitation on the matter.

He made the request during a meeting, which was held here in Balakot on Monday with members of Soha committee, Paris committee, Kaghan committee and Zamindar committee in attendance.

Mr Qasim told participants that the proposed road blockade would cause a law and order situation as happened at the Saiful Muluk lake last month when a trader lost life due to firing in an anti-encroachment campaign.

The former lawmaker said tourists from across country were present in Kaghan valley and if the MNJ Road was blocked to traffic, it could disturb peaceful environment there. `If there is a deadlock in our talks with the government, then you should take this extreme step of blocking roads,` he said.

Participants Qarl Hameed Qureshi, Hamid Shah and Wajee Shah opposed the idea of Mr Qasim insisting the government is not sincere about offering landowners the market rate of their land being acquired for the proposed water project. `The government didn`t fulfil its commitment twice on land price and therefore, we can no more trust it, said Mr Qureshi.

TWO KILLED: A man was killed over an old enmity, while a boy was run over and killed by a speeding car here on Monday. Driver Mohammad Niaz allegedly gunned down Sadiq Shah in Nanoha area over a land dispute and fled.

The police handed over the body to the family for burial after it underwent postmortem at the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital Mansehra.

Theylaterregisteredacase andbeganraidsforthe arrest of the suspect.

Also in the day, a speeding car killed Shafahat Ali on the Karakoram Highway near Ghazikot Township here.

The police booked the absconding driver and began raids for his arrest.