Moalims

PESHAWAR:
The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa gave its seal of approval on Monday to 69 development projects proposed by different government departments. Approved in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, all the schemes have different schedules for completion.

The PDWP held a meeting at the Planning and Development (P&D) department. It considered 70 projects submitted by the agriculture, elementary and secondary education, higher education, local government, revenue, health, irrigation, public health engineering, relief and rehabilitation, and communication and works departments. K-P Additional Chief Secretary Dr Hammad Owais Agha chaired the meeting and was accompanied by the administrative secretaries of the departments.

The forum approved 69 initiatives at an estimated cost of nearly Rs3.3 billion. Only one project was rejected due to inadequate design.

Significant schemes

For the health sector, the forum gave a green light to the establishment of Bacha Khan Medical College in Mardan, Nowshera Medical College (Phase-I) and upgradation of the existing accident and emergency unit and ICU at Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar. It also approved a project to boost emergency services at all hospitals of the province.

 In the higher education sector, the forum gave its nod to a project to revamp the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan campus in Buner. Meanwhile, Elementary and Secondary Education department projects which were allowed to go ahead included facilities for cadet colleges in Kohat, Swabi and Swat along with a scheme to develop play areas for primary schools.

Building more

The forum approved the second phase of a project for the construction of 100 new patwar khanas in K-P for the revenue sector. Projects accepted for the agriculture sector included the provision of pumping machinery to increase farming production. The initiatives also aimed at improving government seed production units and distribution.

Projects to build units for the Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA) and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority were also approved.

In the city

Other schemes given the green light included establishing units for USAID projects in the Communication and Works (C&W) department, the construction of a cafeteria at the K-P Assembly building and the building of high-rise flats in Nishtarabad, Peshawar.

PDWP approved the provision of external power sources and gas transmission lines to Regi Model Town in the provincial capital.

Meanwhile, initiatives to beautify the city were approved under the urban development sector.

The authority also okayed schemes for the improvement and widening of Pajjagi, Chaghar and Matti roads in Peshawar and installation of LED lights on GT and Jamrud roads from Zakori Bridge to the administrative boundary of the city.

Water everywhere

It approved drinking water schemes for Karak and Hangu districts along with sanitation schemes in Charsadda. PDWP approved tube wells, along with water supply and sanitation schemes, for Haripur district. Finally, the forum gave its nod of approval to road projects in districts across the province, including Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat, Haripur, Lower Dir and Upper Dir, Peshawar, Buner and DI Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2015.