Structurally flawed: Officials not willing to move into new office building at Torkham

PESHAWAR:

A dispute which erupted over a structurally flawed building at Torkham border between the local administration and C&W officials is nowhere close to a resolution.

The compound constructed two years ago at Torkham is unstable as sub-standard material was used, alleged officials of the Torkham based administration.

There is no structural fault in the building, nor was sub-standard material used in the compound, claimed a C&W official. The offices have been razed to erect another building which will cost at least Rs9 million and take two and a half years.

The political administration and C&W bulldozed the old  building to erect offices and residential blocks.

The offices were razed without providing alternative space for clerical staff said a source in the administration.

The source revealed that officials had embezzled a huge amount in the construction of the compound, which had been built at the back of their offices some two years ago.

The C&W department had intentionally used sub-standard material in the compound, which is why the Torkham-based administration was not willing to take charge of the compound since it was completed.

The former tehsildars appointed at Torkham had also refused to take charge of the compound, keeping in view its unstable structure, an administration official was of the view.

An official of C&W while rejecting the allegations of the Torkham administration claimed that the contractor had incurred a loss of more than Rs1 million in constructing the building.

Officials of the Khasadar Force have asked the political agent Khyber to hand over the disputed compound to them so they can have a place to live.

They said that they had built their living quarters at their own expense; small rooms constructed from mud which were of very poor quality.

We can happily live in the disputed compound because the C&W officials are building a newer, luxurious building for officials working at Torkham, said an official of the Khasadar Force.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2012.