PESHAWAR - The contractors in Khyber Agency on Tuesday threatened to halt work on ongoing development projects, if the authorities concerned failed to release funds within the next two weeks.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Khyber Contractors’ Association President Badshah Khan Afridi said that a number of developmental projects were delayed due to not releasing of funds in the last month of the current financial year.

He informed only 10 per cent funds have so far been released for various uplift projects in Khyber Agency.

Badshah Khan Afridi said that they were carrying out developmental schemes of more than eight departments includes irrigation, education, and health etc.

He also alleged that the Fata Secretariat did approve funds of only those contractors who did offer bribe to the officials concerned.

He lamented that the policy was not only affected the ongoing developmental projects but also violated merit and transparency in the release of funds.

Flanked by the Association general secretaries and contractors, the president said that the contractors could not continue work on the uplift projects due to non-release of funds. Resulted delayed a number of projects in irrigation, health, education and other sectors, he added.

Afridi also said that the development work was being allowed for only three months in restive Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency, adding he feared that if funds weren’t released immediately, the schemes would face a long delay in the valley up till the next year.

He also said that they had written a letter to Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Fata for a meeting in this connection but he didn’t receive any reply from him.

He held the ACS and Fata chief engineer responsible for delaying work on the development projects in Khyber Agency.

On the occasion, Sohbat Afridi said that contractors had paid out 18 per cent additional amount as a bribe for approval of funds. He warned not to pay further commission till the release of the first quarter of funds to them.

He informed that more than 40 schools were destroyed in the terrorists’ acts in the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, but the reconstruction and rehabilitation work was yet to start.

He said that weather was much supportive to carry out the developmental work in three months from June to August in Tirah valley and another plain area of Khyber Agency, but the contractors were being faced with immense difficulties due to delay in the release of funds. He also urged the authorities concerned to ensure the release of first quarter’s funds beforeJuly 15 so that the ongoing uplift schemes can be completed timely.

The president urged the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to take notice of the issue and ensure timely completion of the ongoing developmental projects in Khyber Agency.

He warned ‘if the government was failing to release funds within the next two weeks, the contractors would not only stop work rather would stage a protest outside Fata Secretariat and the Governor House Peshawar.