MANSEHRA: The people on Saturday resented long delay in the reconstruction of five primary schools in Ghanool union council of Balakot.

`The government has been making big claims of its success of educational emergency programme in the province but all five schools in our union councils which were destroyed in earthquake some 12 years ago are still without buildings,` local elder Abdul Rehman told reporters here in Balakot.

Accompanied by other elders, Mr Rehman told reporters here that hve schools both for boys and girls were destroyed by the 2005 earthquake but none of them had been rebuilt.

He said the schools were located in Bandar, Thawan, Dahir Ghanool and Sangar areas.

The elder He also criticised the local lawmakers for being indifferent to the delay in the schools` rebuilding and said teachers took classes in the open and sent students home when the weather was inclement.

P R O S P E R I T YPROMISED: The construction of Munchora dam will bring about prosperity in Oghi tehsil, Hazara small dam project director Zubair Khan on Saturday.

`We have begun acquiring land for the dam at the cost of Rs1.5 billion. This project will bring over 5,000 acres of land under cultivation,` he told reporters at the dam`s site.

Mr Zubair, who was accompanied by Oghi tehsil naib nazim Qazi Zahidullah,metlocalfarmers and assured them of reasonable payments for their land and trees affected by the project being executed in the suburbs of Oghi town.

He said the dam`s construction would also help promote tourism in the region.

`We will use this water reservoir as hatchery as well as for commercial sailing,` he said.

The project director said the construction of the 130 feet high dam would create employment opportunities for the local residents.

The naib nazim praised the government for trying to bring vast barren land of the underdeveloped area under cultivation by building Munchora dam.