RAWALPINDI, Sept 6: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has ordered the release of Rs50 million for electrification of backward areas of the district, an official of the district government said here on Saturday.

The amount will be spent in the Tehsils of Kahuta and Kotli Sattian, where hundreds of villages are without electricity.

The prime minister has directed the ministries of finance, and water and power to complete all processing and formalities at the earliest so as to ensure the disbursement of funds by September 30, the official said.

The electrification projects had been identified by District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, who had called on the prime minister to draw his attention towards the problem, the official said.

The Nazim, in his subsequent meeting with the principal secretary to the prime minister, had submitted a list of the villages which needed to be provided electricity.

The official said the Nazim had requested for Rs300 million, however, the prime minister ordered the release of Rs50 million as the first tranche.

He said Kahuta and Kotli Sattian Tehsils were sensitive areas and had hilly terrain, due to which the cost of development in these areas was high and could not be met through the district’s annual development fund.

Meanwhile, the district Nazim, in a statement, thanked the prime minister for taking keen interest in the development of the district.

He also expressed the hopes that electrification of the villages in the two Tehsils would usher in a new era of development in the district.

He reiterated his demand for more funds so that other backward areas of the district could be provided basic facilities like power and water.