RAWALPINDI, May 6: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has approved a development package of Rs50 million for the rural areas of Rawalpindi district.

Talking to Dawn here on Tuesday, District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiyani said the district government had requested the prime minister to announce a development package during his visit to Gujar Khan last month. Under the package, the district would get a cadet college, 10 roads of 30-kilometre each, upgradation of boys and girls schools and a railway overhead bridge in Gujar Khan.

The package also envisages provision of Sui gas for Changa Mera village. The district government has been asked to identify and prioritise the development schemes within 3 days.

Meanwhile, the District Development Committee has separately approved the release of Rs45.826 million for new and the ongoing projects in the district. Giving the breakdown of the approved projects, Mr Kiyani said Rs13.5 million would be spent on the ongoing building projects. This, he said, would include construction of 8 additional classrooms in the science block and extension of the library at Government Girls College, Satellite Town; construction of a building for Intermediate College, Kalar Sayedan; extension of building of Boys Degree College, Murree; and upgradation of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Murree.

An amount of Rs0.433 million has been earmarked for a new construction project under which 2 classrooms of a primary school would be constructed.

The district government would spend Rs8.585 million for the construction of new roads and another Rs4 million for the completion of the short-funded ongoing schemes. For the rest of ongoing projects, Mr Kiyani said, Rs15.421 million had been approved. The DDC has also approved an amount of Rs3.887 million under the head of rehabilitation of the dilapidated roads.