(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) Though thousands of families have returned to their native towns and villages in FATA after the restoration of peace, but government offices and banks have not been shifted back to these areas.
Before hit the region in 2004, there were 42 banks and 25 post offices with branches of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and government affairs departments. But now majority of these offices are either closed or operating from outside of FATA.
Locals expressed unhappiness over not reopening and bringing back of these offices that have been causing a great deal of problems to the returnees. The repatriated populations have to go to settled districts for even attestation of an application form from the local administration.
Sharin Gul , a resident of Bara area of Khyber Agency, said that tehsil administrative offices were shifted to Shakas area of the agency at the time of displacement and they had to go there for dealing with officials.
He said elders, women and students face immense difficulties to go there due to unavailability of transport.
"Financial assistance is to returnees is given through banks but there is no branch of any bank operating in Bara at the moment for which they have to go to Peshawar," said Arsal another resident of Bara. He added that assistant political agent can hardly be found in his office in Peshawar and they are unable to reach him easily.
Though Bara tehsil building has been reopened recently but Assitant Political Agent and Tehsildar are rarely available there.
The already existing offices are closed and government is working to establish offices of new departments and services in areas of return.
"The government has been constructing multi-rooms building in Bara under the project of Establishment of Municipal Corporation and Provision of Municipal Services in Bara," said Muhammad Humayun, a sub-divisional officer of Communication and Works Department. He said that this was a Local Government project aimed at to provide municipal services to locals at their doorstep.
It will include Rescue 1122, Fire Brigade and staffers of Local Government Department, he said and added that the department will also work on beautification of Bara.
Malik Rehkhman Mulakhel, a resident of Orakzai Agency, said people of the area came back from camps but offices are yet to be brought back to Orakzai Agency.
In absence of education, health and administrative offices, locals are forced to go to Hangu where these offices had been shifted. He urged the government to relocate the offices back to the agency.
The residents of South Waziristan have been facing the same problems. "Though education and health offices are working in Survekai tehsil of South Waziristan Agency but there is no office to keep check and balance on them in the agency," claimed Manzoor Ahmad from Waziristan.
Similarly, administrative and other government offices of South Waziristan Agency are still in Tank district. It is hard for poor returnees to visit Tank and get assistance from these departments, Manzoor said.
The repatriated populations of Kurram Agency is no exception and they have also problems to access government departments and banks as they are either closed or functional outside of the agency.
"We demand relocation of banks' branches from settled areas of KP to Magan and Mandori areas of the agency as well as increase their numbers in the agency," urged Bilal from Upper Kurram Agency.
Meanwhile, the officials of political administration say that all the office and banks would soon be reopened and brought back in Kurram Agency.
"We have been working hard to re-open all offices in Central Kurram," said Shahid Malik, an official of the political administration.
The case in Miran Shah sub division of North Waziristan is no different where except a school and government run hospital, all offices are yet to be reopened said a local resident Zahid Khan.
Offices such as Nadra, Livestock and tehsil administration building have not been reopened as yet and residents of the agency visit Bannu to avail services of these departments, Zahid Khan added
Talking to TNN Fata Secretariat Information Director Abdus Salam said that rehabilitation process is underway in all agencies which include the reopening of all government offices and banks. "Offices that were shifted to other areas due to law and order would soon be shifted back to previous locations," he said.
He admitted that people's concerns were valid regarding non-relocation of government offices especially after restoration of peace and repatriation.
However, he said that some of the offices like Nadra need internet and modern equipment while others were being reconstructed which is taking longer time than expected.
"Operation Zarb-e-Azb was the biggest military offensive during which the infrastructure of Miran Shah City was badly damaged and now everything is being rebuilt from the scratch.
In case of Bara tehsil, he disagreed with local people if offices had been shifted to far away locations saying these offices were moved out to nearest safer places to facilitate the affected people, he added.
This feature has been taken from TNN magazine programme 'Da Manzal Pa Lor'. The programme was produced by Shah Muhammad and Salman Ahmed.
Correspondents: Shah Khalid, Gul Muhammad, Shah Nawaz, Malik Azmat, Ali Afzal, Anwar Shah and Rizwan Mehsud
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