PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a proposal to extend the directorates of prisons, prosecution, reclamation and probation, and public safety commissions to merged districts at a cost of Rs794 million under a short-term plan.

The documents available with Dawn show that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan approved the proposal moved by the home and tribal affairs department on Feb 7.

The directorates in question operate under the home and tribal affairs department.

The documents show that the home department had chalked out long and short-term plans to establish these departments in the merged department.

The long-term plan, which includes the development of infrastructure of district jails in seven merged districts, will cost Rs16.82 billion, while the short-term plan needs Rs794 million.

Home dept says Rs794m immediately required for the purpose

The breakdown of the required funds shows that under the long-term plan, the largest chunk of funds amounting to Rs15.5 billion will be required for the extension of the inspector general of prisons to tribal districts.

Under the same head, the infrastructure needs of district jails alone will require whopping Rs11.4 billion funds, while repair and renovation of the existing 15 lockups will cost around Rs668 million and creation of 2,177 posts around Rs475 million.

Similarly, the directorate of prosecution will need Rs1.2 billion, directorate of reclamation Rs15.1 million and public safety commission Rs20 million.

The summary of the home department noted that long-term plan, which was about creation of new posts, recruitment and development of infrastructure, would take considerable time for successful execution.

It added that for the long-term plan, availability of funds would also be an issue and therefore, immediate action should be initiated on the short-term plan.

The summary said the funds amounting to Rs794 million would be required immediately. Of this amount Rs668 million would be spent on repair/renovation of existing prison facilities in the merged districts while Rs126 million for operational charges of prosecution services.

The finance department opined that budgetary requirements for the creation of new positions and establishment of new positions shall become a responsibility of the provincial government from next financial year.

It added that the federal government had agreed to on more than one occasion to provide funds for the additional human resources requirements as well infrastructure needs; however, there is no written commitment as such.

The department said the provincial government would receive additional funds to meet the emerging needs in merged districts.

“It is advised that home department should phase out recruitment process in such a manner those financial liabilities (salaries and operational costs) should only accrue in the month of July 2019 and at the same time recruitment should be phased out in manner so that personnel are deployed once the infrastructure is completed,” it said.

The department said the home department should proceed with the short term plan and at the same time start working on long term plan. “Finance department agrees to provide requisite funds from the funds received from the federal government for merged districts,” it added.

Meanwhile, the KP government on Tuesday notified the chief minister’s advisory committee on merged districts.

The committee will have the chief minister as head and lawmakers from merged districts as members.

The committee ToRs said the chief minister would consult MNAs and senators from merged districts on the preparation of annual development programme, preparation of 10 years development programme, and issues pertaining to merger and mainstreaming of those areas, and reconstruction and rehabilitation of displaced persons.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2019