513 ghost police dept employees fired in merged districts

PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Special Steering Committee for Newly Merged Districts was informed on Monday that 513 ghost employees were removed from the police in tribal districts.

A handout said that caretaker Minister for Newly Merged Districts Affairs Aamer Abdullah chaired the meeting.

Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah, Secretary Health Mehmood Aslam Wazir, Secretary Communications and Works Muhammad Idrees Khan, Secretary Relief Inayatullah Wasim, Secretary Industry Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Special Secretaries Home and P&D Departments Muhammad Zabair and Kamran Afridi and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed the progress of the tasks given to various departments in the previous meeting of the committee.

The forum was informed that the process of capacity building of police in NMDs was in progress and around 19 Deputy Superintendents of Police and 85 inspectors were promoted while recruitment of 1571 police personnel would be completed soon. About 513 ghost employees were removed from the police in these districts.

The forum instructed that the identified sites for construction of various police infrastructure in some districts may be handed over to the Communications and Works Department to start the construction work. It was directed to speed up the process of establishing judicial offices in North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Orakzai tribal districts.

The minister directed the officials to take up the issue of the stipend scheme for the children of the merged districts with the Finance Department. He directed the Education Department to present proposals in the next meeting of the task force for running the Governor Model Schools in the merged districts with better management.

The minister said the department should present models of various private educational chains working on public private partnership in other provinces. He instructed the officials to update the land settlement and digitization project in the merged districts. The meeting also discussed the Accelerated Implementation Programme and Rural Development projects.

The minister said the release of the remaining 75 percent of the funds to the outsourced hospitals in the merged districts should be ensured. He directed the Planning and Development D Department to forward the new economic plan for the merged districts to the Islamic Development Bank for possible financial cooperation.

He directed the officials to keep in touch with the Advocate General’s Office for consultation and guidance about the necessary legal and technical matters.

The minister said the department concerned should take necessary steps to bring the small irrigation dams in the merged districts into use to promote fisheries.

He said payments to the land owners should be ensured in connection with the establishment of a Small Industrial Estate in Bajaur. The minister said the Industry and Agriculture departments should prepare a joint plan by January 10 about the revitalization of Agricultural Park in Wana.

The meeting was briefed on the plan of the five-year educational programme to be launched for the merged districts.