January 31, 2006	Tuesday	Muharram 1, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, Jan 30: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi during a visit to the city on Monday announced a grant of Rs1 billion for development projects to be shared equally by the Rawal Town and Potohar Town municipal administrations.

The Rs500 million grant to each town that the chief minister announced separately was expected to bring their tussle over the resources generated in their areas to an end.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi announced the grant for the Rawal Town at a ceremony in Gawalmandi where he laid the foundation of a girls college. He said the grant would fund some mega projects, like the construction of an elevated highway over the congested Murree Road, and a flyover at the 6th Road.

Similarly, he told the elected representatives of the Potohar Town, which consists of rural areas of Rawalpindi, that the Rs500 million grant for the town was meant to for constructing underpasses at Rawat, Kallar Syeddan and Sinkila railway crossing, a bypass at Kallar Syeddan, and electrification of the suburbs of Kotli and Kotli Sattian.

At the Gawalmandi function, the chief minister said education was a top priority on his government’s agenda, with particular attention on providing educational opportunities to the poor.

Reforms have been introduced to improve the standard of education and make it accessible to the poor in far-flung backward areas of the province.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said children of the poor have been enrolled in 65,000 schools in the Punjab. Stipend system has been initiated in order to provide financial assistance to students from poor families.

Under this programme, a stipend of Rs200 is being provided to each of the female student in 16 poverty-ridden southern districts of Punjab.

About the development works in the province, he said finances for this sector had been increased to Rs9,000 million from Rs1,000 million. He said the World Bank had promised funding the education sector reforms. All the middle schools would be upgraded to high and high schools to higher secondary level, he said. He said more teachers would be inducted to overcome shortage of teaching staff.

Similarly, an amount of Rs6,000 million had been earmarked for upgrading and improving health facilities. He said the government would prefer to provide more facilities in neglected areas. The benefits of reforms would trickle down to the masses, he said.

The chief minister lauded the services of the Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid in the field of education. “Sheikh Rashid is a great statesman.” He urged his supporters to get united. With such unity, Rawalpindi will become a stronghold of the Muslim League. Mr Elahi asked the PPP not to misunderstand things. He added: “Gen Musharraf will be unanimously elected President by the assemblies after 2007 general elections.”

The chief minister said that the Kalabagh Dam issue had exposed the PPP. It had got itself restricted to Sindh only, he said. The leadership of PPP always came to power through the support of Punjab adding this support would no longer be extended.

Mr Elahi promised housing colony for the journalists of Rawalpindi on the pattern of Journalists Colony Lahore.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Information and Media Development Sheikh Rashid Ahmad underlined the need for construction of more dams in the country. He said all major reservoirs would be established by 2016. He said that Gen Musharraf allowed Nawaz Sharif to visit London adding that it should not be considered as a step for political change.

He said Rawalpindi had its own strategic and political importance. It is the centre for Northern Areas, NWFP and other important areas, he said.

Our Reporter adds: Mr Elahi, flanked by nazim Potohar Town Raja Hamid Nawaz and Provincial Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, pledged grants for acquisition of land for building boys and girls schools in five union councils of the town.