RAWALPINDI: Divisional Commissioner Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry on Thursday directed for work on ongoing development schemes in the NA-54 cantonment areas to be expedited so that they are completed by March 31.

Mr Chaudhry was reviewing progress on development work launched in the cantonment areas under the Prime Minister’s Global Sustainable Goals Achievement Programme 2017-18.

The meeting was attended by PML-N’s MNA from NA-54 Malik Abrar, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Vice President Malik Munir, Director Colleges Malik Asghar, Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) sub-engineer Walayat Khan, Highways Executive Engineer Mansoor Arshad, Building Department Executive Engineer Khalid Shehzad, Public Health Engineering Executive Engineer Faisal Shaukat and other officials.

A senior district administration official told Dawn Mr Abrar at the meeting raised the issue of the absence of medicines at nine dispensaries in the area that were recently made functional.

In response, the official said, the commissioner asked the health authority to provide medicines within 10 days.

When contacted, Mr Abrar said the new dispensaries had been established in Lal Kurti, Lalazar, Chungi No.22, Tench Bhatta, Azam Colony, Siham, Dhoke Gujran, Naseerabad and on Range Road.

He said the land for the dispensaries was donated by local influential figures, while the buildings were constructed by the federal government. The dispensaries will be managed by the district health authority, which will provide doctors and paramedics. He added that the dispensaries would provide healthcare facilities for free, around the clock.

During the meeting, the divisional commissioner broke down the details of the ongoing development projects, saying there are a total of three schemes in Rawalpindi worth Rs92.7 million, and work has begun on two of them. He said that the Public Health Engineering Department has 35 schemes, of which 23 will be completed by the end of this month.

The tenders of six out of the local government’s seven schemes have been processed.

The programme includes four schemes worth Rs77m, he said, adding that no delays would be tolerated in the approved schemes as the district government was vigilant to provide all the resources for assistance in this regard and to overcome any hindrance.

Briefing the meeting on the schemes, Finance and Planning Director Noureen Bashir said Rs27.2m have been allocated for the construction of a new building for the Government Girls High School Dheeri Hasanabad. In addition, Rs71.4m have been approved to provide missing facilities and construct a new block for the Government Khadija Umer Girls College Tench Bhatta, while Rs56.8m have been allocated for the Government Degree College for Boys Dhoke Syedan.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2018