PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Thursday ordered inquiry into the complaints about substandard construction of school and college buildings in Mardan district.

Mr Khattak also asked the Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell chairman Haji Dil Roz Khan to investigate irregularities in different development schemes in Sawaldher, Naway Kaly Rustam and Katlang areas as well as the laying of

faulty water pipelines in Palodheri, Katlang and Jamal Ghari areas.

The directions were issued during a meeting between the chief minister and a 35-member delegation from Mardan at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, says a handout.

MPA Tufail Anjum led the delegation.

The visitors apprised the chief minister of the Mardan residents’ problems relating to health, education, irrigation and police departments.

Mr Khattak directed the health authorities to address deficiency of staff in all hospitals and basic health units in the district besides ensuring availability of modern facilities there.

He said strict action would be taken against the relevant officials over non-compliance of his directives.

The chief minister said it was a matter of concern that despite availability of enough resources, shortage of basic health facilities and doctors continued to be there.

He said the government would effectively address the people’s complaints on health care.

Mr Khattak said all government employees were public servants as they drew salary from the taxpayers’ money.

He said the health department should task the Independent Monitoring Unit with overseeing hospitals and BHUs in the province to bring absence and shortage of staff at such facilities to the notice of senior officials for necessary action.

The chief minister also asked the education department to take concrete steps for addressing shortage of teaching staff in schools and colleges without delay.

He said the employment of 14,000 teachers in the province was underway through the National Testing Service.

Mr Khattak ordered early completion of all ongoing and new developmental schemes under the irrigation and public health engineering departments on priority basis.

He said in future, all inquiries into the matters of government departments should be completed within a week.