SIALKOT, July 31: The Punjab government has approved construction of a multi-storey block at Government Murray College (GMC) at a cost of Rs20 million.

District Coordination Officer Shafqat Ranjha told the press that construction work would start soon and after completion the shortage of classrooms would end. He said this would be a better way to pay homage to Allama Iqbal.

Reports said earlier in May 2005, the then district government had allocated a special grant of Rs25 million for the construction of a postgraduate block, comprising additional class rooms, at the college but the project could not be executed.

In March 2005, a US-based Pakistani, Basharat Iqbal Shaikh, a former student of the college, had donated a modern computer science laboratory to GMC and announced provision of funds for the construction of a sports gymnasium.

Besides repair, the 116-year-old Government Murray College have been facing an acute shortage of teaching and clerical staff, classrooms and other basic facilities since long.

There are only 42 classrooms in the college for more than 6,000 students and there is a dire need for at least 12 classrooms to cater the rising number of students.

Two posts of Biology assistant professors, one of Chemistry, Mathematics, Physical Education, Education, Physics and Commerce lecturers each, three of Economics and Physics assistant professors each, one of Political Science assistant professor, two of Statistics and three seats of Urdu assistant professor have been lying vacant since long.

The college does not have a computer lab and students are forced to get IT education at a private laboratory adjacent to GMC.

There is no librarian in the college. In clerical staff, posts of a superintendent, four junior clerks, eight laboratory assistants, one library attendant, two naib qasids, two gardeners, three sweepers and two lab attendants are lying vacant. The college also needs a hall, besides buses for transportation of students.

Shortage: Retailers have increased the prices of eggs and chicken meat at Sialkot and Narowal districts following an acute shortage.

Retailers are reportedly selling eggs at 100 per cent inflated rates at Rs60 per dozen instead of Rs30 in Sialkot city and Daska.

The price of chicken meat has also jumped up to Rs120-125 per kg in all open markets of Sialkot and Narowal districts.

Some retailers told Dawn that owing to large-scale deaths of birds in poultry farms caused by hot and humid weather, dealers have raised the poultry rates, forcing them to increase the prices.

They alleged that poultry dealers were supplying chicken to the shopkeepers, especially bakery owners who had paid them in advance. The retailers said this advance would help dealers come out of the financial crisis caused by large-scale deaths of birds.

According to Sialkot District Livestock Officer Dr. Shaukat Ali, the people eat 180 million eggs annually and this consumption is increasing day by day in the district.

Meanwhile, people have urged the district administration to take effective measures to check shortage of eggs, besides bringing down the rising prices of chicken.