PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday said the government would take all steps to fully operationalise hospitals, educational institutions and other departments of public service in tribal districts.
He presided over a meeting to discuss multi-sectoral development strategy for the newly merged tribal districts at his office.
The meeting focused on different development schemes in education, health, sports, tourism, local government, energy and sectors. A number of decisions were made for accelerated mainstreaming of newly opened areas and the welfare of the people there.
The meeting directed for the re-deployment of doctors within the available doctors in the province, recruiting fresh doctors and medical and auxiliary staff for the seven new district headquarters hospitals of the erstwhile Fata and the provision of healthcare and medicines on an emergency basis. It was decided to give attractive packages to the doctors to be recruited and deployed in the newly merged districts. The meeting directed all the departments to prepare own plans for meeting the futuristic needs of these areas.
The departments were tasked to prepare a comprehensive design of facilities and process of implementation. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that all developmental and welfare activities should be undertaken under the timeline and another meeting within two weeks would review the pace of progress on different schemes in the merged districts. “We have to give relief to the people. The development roadmap would pave the way for the much-needed development and public welfare of the erstwhile Fata,” he added. Mahmood Khan directed to draw up a plan for the holding local government elections as per Constitution and law of the land to empower the people at the grassroots level and resolve their problems through the local government system. The local government system supported by the development strategy would revive and reconstruct the utility services and bring the institutions to the optimum utilisation for the public service.
The chief minister directed to recruit doctors, teachers and other required staff in the health and education institutions under contractual arrangements and assured the government would give relaxation for the accelerated and efficient service delivery and mainstreaming of the seven new districts. He directed for the data collection of needs and requirements and the facilities already available in these areas to plan and execute the next phase of development in these areas.
Mercury dips: Mercury continued to dip in the provincial capital and elsewhere in the province on Thursday amid a forecast for more rain and snowfall in the mountainous areas.
The officials of the Meteorological Department said rain and snowfall were expected at scattered places in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat and Mardan divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The weather remained cold and cloudy in the provincial capital with light drizzle in the evening.
According to the Meteorological Department forecast, fresh westerly wave entering western parts of the country is likely to affect different parts of the country on Friday and Saturday. Rain (with snowfall over the hills) is expected (during evening/night) at scattered places in Quetta, Zhob, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir while at isolated places in Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Rawalpindi divisions, Islamabad.
Meanwhile, Skardu and Kalam remained the coldest places with -9°C, followed by 8°C in Astore, Gupis, Bagrote and Hunza; -7°C, Gilgit, Dir, Malamjabba -04°C, Rawalakot -03°C, Murree -02°C, Mirkhani, Drosh in Chitral, Parachinar, Quetta, Kamra -01°C.