PESHAWAR, Sept 4: Chief Minister Akram Durrani has said protection of peoples’ rights and meeting their needs, giving preference to national interests over personal interests, maintaining close coordination with people and running government affairs through consultation are characteristics of his government.

He was speaking at a meeting of elected representatives of the 49 union councils of Bannu district at the Frontier House on Sunday.

Congratulating the elected representatives, he said people had expectations from the local government representatives and the provincial government would work with them to serve the masses. He added that paucity of funds would not hinder the uplift process.

The chief minister said the provincial government had taken exemplary steps to bring about positive change in social set-up, not only in Bannu but in the 24 districts of the province.

He said the province needed district government administrations which could help in alleviating grievances of the masses and continuing the uplift schemes.

Mr Durrani said the provincial government wanted improved relations among MPAs of the opposition and treasury benches.

“We have purged the uplift process of all sorts of political tactics and provided everyone with his right,” the chief minister said.

He said that supply of gas to the six southern districts, establishment of an economic zone and industrial estate and construction of a cement factory and Bannu-Ghulam Khan Gardez Road would prove helpful in developing the area and lowering the graph of unemployment.

The provincial government had firmly decided to resolve the problems of Bannu and other southern districts prevailing for the last 57 years, he said.

He said work on uplift schemes in Chitral, Kohistan, Charsadda, Dera, Shangla and other districts of the province was in full swing.

He said he would be ashamed if Bannu residents asked other leaders for the solution of their problems after his tenure.

The chief minister discussed the ongoing development schemes in various sectors in Bannu.

These schemes include a science and technology university, six degree colleges, a commerce college and a polytechnic college, Durrani Model School spread over 400 canals, police public school, a number of higher secondary schools, construction of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital at a cost of Rs1, a cancer hospital, construction of hospitals in Domail, Ghauri Wala, Jani Khel, Kakki and other areas, installation of tube-wells for irrigation and drinking water and construction of bridges and roads.

He said gas supply to the southern districts would be inaugurated and tender for the Bargatu Dam issued this month.

He said work on 100km roads was in progress, which included Jani Khel-Bakka Khel road, Sra Bangla-Jani Khel road, Kala Kaley-Gujar Khel and Mundan-Ismail Khel roads.

Present on the occasion were MPA Qari Azeem Gul, Ulema and a number of tribal elders.