SWABI: Deputy commissioner Motasim Billah has imposed section 4 of the land acquisition act to acquire land for construction of building for Gajju Medical College Swabi, sources in the district administration said on Wednesday.

The college had started functioning in a makeshift building of Bacha Khan Medical Complex in 2016 and the decision was apparently made in a hurry by the local PTI leaders to take credit for the project, keeping in view 2018 general elections.

Sources in the college said that earlier land had been searched in different areas, including mountainous Shahmansoor region, but that was not selected by the college officials and district administration due to security concerns.

They said that the provincial government had provided Rs75 million for acquiring land, but according to estimates worked out by the officials concerned Rs175 million would be needed for payment to landowners.

They said that the remaining Rs100 million would also be paid soon.

The sources said that the site selected for the medical college was adjacent to the Bacha Khan hospital and the targeted acquiring area was 138 kanals.

When contacted, an official said that they were striving to acquire the land as soon as possible because the makeshift building could not fulfil requirement of the medical college.

He said that the girl students had been accommodated in the DHO’s office, which was being used as a hostel.

He said that pressure had increased on the college administration as the second batch of students had already joined the college.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2018