CHITRAL: In both the districts of Chitral there are many cases of non-payment of dues which are long overdue and people have even approached the courts of law to get their dues paid.

Whether it be outstanding dues of contractors or dues for acquisition of property from individuals for various govt projects like widening of roads etc, all remain pending indefinitely. The affectees of the Chitral bazaar byepass road who were paid peanuts for their commercial land had approached the court of law for redressal of their grievance and the court has ordered the govt to pay the re-estimated amount, but the concerned departments are not budging an inch and the courts seem helpless in this matter too. The hoteliers are crying that their dues of last year against the government for forcibly using their premises as Corona centres are still not paid. It is a strange phenomenon that has never happened before. Similarly many individual cases of non payment of dues by the govt are pending in the courts.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan should take Suo moto notice and order the government to first pay all outstanding dues to individuals and then only take up any development work. It is high time that priorities of the government/Administration should be sorted out once for all, so that some semblance of a fair governance is seen.. .. CN report, 27 May 2021