District administration Jhelum, under the operation against substandard and smuggled coaltar continuing on the direction of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has taken into custody 46 drums of substandard and smuggled coaltar valuing ten lakh rupees from tehsil Pind Dadan Khan. This substandard coaltar was suspected to be used in the construction of flood affected roads in Pind Dadan Khan. On the direction of DCO Jhelum Zulfiqar Ahmed Ghuman, samples of coaltar have been sent to FWO Laboratory Mandra for laboratory test. A committee headed by EDO Finance Jhelum Abid Razzaq will probe into the matter whereas a case has been registered-against the contractor Mazhar Iqbal Gondal and investigation is continuing.
DCO Jhelum Zulfiqar Ahmed Ghuman said that on the direction of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, a ban has been imposed on the sale and purchase, supply and use of substandard and smuggled coaltar throughout the district, as the roads constructed with substandard coaltar ruin soon and cause loss of crores of rupees to government exchequer. He said that according to the direction of Punjab government, only certified coaltar of National Refinery Karachi and PARCO can be used. He said that the repair work of ten flood affected roads is continuing in tehsil Pind Dadan Khan and their total length is 30 kilometer and Rs. 5.5 crore are being spent on their construction and repair.
