April 8, 2003	Tuesday	Safar 5, 1424

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GILGIT, April 7: The Northern Areas administration decided on Monday to establish a laboratory at the Sost border to cope with the any pneumonia outbreak in Northern Areas.

The Northern Areas health secretary Mehrdad said they had taken this step in view of the pneumonia eruption in China and Hong Kong. The lab is to pre-empt any pneumonia epidemic in Northern Areas as the border between Pakistan and China was going to be opened from the next month for tourism and trade.

He added that there was likelihood of pneumonia virus contacts in Northern Areas since every year hundreds of thousands of traders and tourists from both countries interacted with the opening of the border that remain operative till December every year.

PROJECTS: At least 80 development schemes would be completed on priority basis during the current year in the five districts of the Northern Areas, official sources said.

Giving a breakdown of the schemes, they said over three projects would be executed in water and power sector including a 6-mw power station at Nagar, 4mw power station in Hunza and electrification of the leftover areas in Gilgit.

They said in transport and communication sector over eight schemes would be completed on urgent basis. In agriculture sector a technology transfer centre to be set up at Gilgit, a water supply scheme would be completed in Hunza, they said.

In health sector over 20 projects would be given preference including establishment of 17 new veterinary dispensaries in Gilgit.

In education besides construction of primary and middle schools, around 23 new schemes had been included in the proposed annual development plan.