MANSEHRA: The local government department has assured Mansehra`s local bodies of the early provision of the last tranche of developmental funds.

`We have already conveyed your grievances to our (LG department`s) director general and assure you that you will get the last tranche of development funds very soon,` assistant director (local government) Ziaur Rehman Jadoon to village and neighbourhood council nazims, who called on him in his office on Saturday.

Nazims Ittehad president Mohammad Fareed and general secretary Basharat Ali led the visitors and informed the LG official of their problems caused by delay in the provision of the current fiscal`s budgetary allocations.Mr Fareed said if the government failed to release the withheld funds, the nazims along with councillors would demonstrate on June 15.

`We are left with no option but to take to the streets to claim rights. The people consider this LG system to be a failure just because we don`t have funds to address their problems,` he said.

The assistant director (LG) said his department was committed to addressing the issues and challengesfacingthelocalbodies and would ensure the early release of funds to them.

POWER PROJECTS: The SarhadRuralSupportProgramme will build 35 micro-hydropower plants in Upper Kohistan district with the financial assistance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation.`We have built a 50-kilowatt plant in Kaz Jalkot union council and a 20-kilowatt plant in Jimra union council and are smoothly supplying electricity to over 200 houses in remote parts of Upper Kohistan at the cheapest rate, SRSP manager Zubair Khan told reporters on Saturday. He said the plants cost the exchequer Rs8 million.

The SRSP manager said the government was building 356 microhydropower plants in the province, including 35 in Upper Kohistan.

`Kohistan is rich in water resources and therefore, the government decided to make the best use of it by building 35 micro-hydropower plants in the district to meet the local energy needs,` he said.

Mr Zubair said the people of Kohistan settled in mountainousareas had no electric supply but the successful execution of all those 35 hydropower projects would ensure smooth supply of electricity to them. He said work on the feasibilities and site selection for the remaining 33 microhydropower projects was under way.

RAIN: Heavy downpour was recorded in the upper parts of Hazara division on Saturday sending the temperatures down to the relief of the people affected by the prolonged and unscheduled power outages.

The rain, which lashed Mansehra, Balakot, Torghar and Kohistan, began in early hours and continued all through the day intermittently.

The local growers said the wet spell, which began on Thursday, was good for maze crops cultivated in the region.