Rs 2.26 bn released for better policing in merged districts

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has released Rs 2.26 billion funds so far for strengthening policing in the merged districts.

This was stated during a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on merged districts chaired here on Thursday by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, said a handout. The meeting reviewed the implementation status of decisions taken in the last meeting about the development projects and public issues in North Waziristan and Kurram districts.

The KP cabinet members Kamran Bangash, Shaukat Yousafzai, Shahram Tarakai, Iqbal Wazir, Inspector General Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, Corps Commander Lt-General Nauman Mahmood and other officials attended the meeting.

Briefing the forum about the decisions taken in the last meeting and their implementation status, it was told that 27 decisions were taken about North Waziristan while 24 were made for Kurram district.

Out of the 27 decisions on North Waziristan, 19 were implemented while the remaining 18 decisions were being implemented as per the timelines. For Kurram, it was informed that out of the 24 decisions, 11 decisions were implemented while progress was being made on the rest of the decisions in accordance with the timelines.

The forum was apprised that NADRA offices had been set up in Miran Shah and Razmak, adding a passport office was also established and made fully operationalized in the district. The NADRA Citizen Facilitation Centers were established at different spots while woman staff had been posted to three of them.

Under the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Project, 1.8 million saplings were planted during the monsoon campaign. Touching upon the extension of provincial departments to newly merged districts, it was told that the offices of Excise & Taxation, Mines & Mineral, Rescue 1122, Social Welfare, Population Welfare and Food departments were set up in North Waziristan.

Moreover, Spinwam and Shewa hospitals were made operational. Regarding the education sector, it was said that the recruitment process of 379 teachers in North Waziristan would be completed by next month.

Of the Kurram district, it was told that a PC-II had been approved for the establishment of Category-D hospitals in Makhranay, Mandan and Kharlachi, adding the feasibility study was underway for the establishment of Medical College and upgradation of District Headquarters Hospital Kurram.

The recruitment process of 456 teachers would be completed before the beginning of next academic year while 56 lecturers were recruited for the colleges in Kurram. The chief minister said the KP government was taking steps for the development of merged districts on sustainable grounds.