Contractors demand cancellation of contracts, awarded to influential people

PESHAWAR: A group of government contractors, belonging from lower and central Kurram district alleged that an xen of C&W Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ziaul Islam for allegedly awarding contracts of 27 roads infrastructure and five schools projects to ‘non-local’ contractors, terming it as a complete unjust and unfair.

They threatened to move the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and anti-corruption department if the afore-mentioned contracts, which were awarded to influential people, were not cancelled immediately. They added that all responsibility will be laid down on the afore-stated Xen.

Talking to reporters here at local press club, the government contractors union vice president Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto along with Arshad Ali, Sarfraz Khan Haji Murad Ali, Sultan and Malik Nasir and others said locals contractors had boycotted for taking part in awarding tender/bidding process owing to increase on price of construction materials.

Taking advantage of the local contractors protest, they said the xen Ziaul Islam has awarded contracts to ‘non-local’ contractors in the overnight by sitting outside of his office and contracts sent to Hangu circle for their proper approval.

They warned to move NAB and anti-corruption against the said official of C&W department if the aforementioned contracts were not cancelled immediately and all responsibility would be laid upon the xen.

Earlier, the government contractors also staged a protest demonstration outside the press club against the afore-said xen. They were holding placards and banners, inscribed slogans against the xen. They, on the occasion, shouted full-throated slogans against him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022