MANSEHRA: The Mansehra administration on Saturday put the District Disaster Management Authority on high alert and cancelled leaves of the revenue and local government officials to handle the situation caused by flooded rivers in the district.

`Until now, three people have lost life in the rain-related incidents in the district, so in order to efficiently grapple with the situa-tion caused by flooding of local rivers, we`ve put the relevant authorities, including DDMA, on high alert besides canceling leaves of revenue and local government officials,` assistant commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan told reporters here.

Dr Qasim said a control room had already been established at the deputy commissioner`s offices to assess the situation in light of high flow of water in the Kunhar and Siren rivers in the district.

`The rains have stopped. Had they continued, they would have played havoc with public life and property in the district,` he said, adding that flow of water into local rivers had been very high for three days due to heavy rains.

The assistant commissioner said only a man had been swept away byfloodwater in the Siren River.

He said leaves of revenue and local government officials had been cancelled until the situation returned to normal.

Dr Qasim said people living on the banks of the Siren and Kunhar rivers had already been warned to be vigilant and to move to safer places in case water level reached dangerous level.

The heavy rains have already caused blockade of main and link roads in the district.

The Balakot-Naran section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and almost all link roads in Kaghan, Siren and Konsh valleys have been blocked due to landslides to the misery of motorists and commuters.

BRIDGE REPAIRED: The derelict Hassa suspension bridge in Balakot wasopened to the people on Saturday after the Rs1 million repairs.

Many people have lost life by coming off the bridge over a period of time.

The bridge links a large population living on both sides of the Kunhar River.

`Had sufficientfunds been available, we would have put a solid bridge in place of this suspension bridge. Due to availability of limited funds, we`ve opted for doing repairs to it,` PML-N MPA Mian Ziaur Rehman said during the bridge inaugural ceremony.

The MPA said the government should ensure early improvement of health, educational and communication facilities in the province instead of participating in sit-in outside parliament house.

`I ask Chief Minister Pervez Khattak about the change his party had promised to bring about after coming to power. The people of our province continue to be without health, educational and other basic amenities,` he said.

Rehman objected to women dancing in the PTI sit-in outside parliament house and said such a conduct was not acceptable to the people at large.

He asked the provincial government to ensure effective implementation of the PTI manifesto in the province for the people`s welfare.

The MPA said it was the PML-N, which had respected the people`s mandate for the PTI in the province and handed over the provincial government to the PTI, so the ruling party should respect the people`s mandate for the PML-N in the centre.