PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has released Rs4.44 billion for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of over 700 damaged facilities in three major sectors, including education, in merged tribal districts of the province.

Sources told Dawn that the department of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction recently released Rs4.44 billion for rebuilding schools, health centres, drinking water facilities and irrigation channels in merged districts.

The social sector had suffered colossal damages during militancy in the erstwhile Fata. Education was the worst hit sector as around 1,500 educational institutions were blown up or torched and thus, denying education to thousands of boys and girls.

Majority of the educational institutions were rehabilitated with the financial assistance of foreign donors and allocations from the annual development programmes.

Funds will be used on damaged schools, health centres, water facilities, irrigation channels

The reconstruction of mosques and business hubs in South Waziristan tribal district has been included in the programme. The government has already rebuilt mosques in North Waziristan tribal district after the completion of the Zarb-i-Azb military operation against militants.

An official said the federal government had allocated Rs26 billion for development schemes in different sectors of merged tribal districts.

He said the RRR department in collaboration with the district administration concerned identified damaged facilities in every tribal district before referring them to the relevant quarters for approval.

“It took quite an effort to get every scheme approved,” said the official, who deals with the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the defunct Fata.

Sources said the RRR department had identified 239 schools, 71 health facilities and 353 drinking water schemes for rehabilitation through the Pakistan Army’s engineers.

The Pakistan Army remained involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in tribal districts, especially South Waziristan and North Waziristan.

Before the Fata-KP merger, the federal government had created the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Unit to carry out rehabilitation schemes in tribal districts.

Under the plans, 57 mosques will be reconstructed and rehabilitated in South Waziristan tribal district besides sports grounds and commercial centres. The department has released Rs50.7 million for the reconstruction of mosques in the district.

The district wise breakup of the funds released showed that South Waziristan got Rs1 billion, North Waziristan Rs1.05 billion, Khyber Rs422.5 million, Orakzai Rs1.04 billion, Kurram Rs1.1 billion and Mohmand Rs490.5 million.

The six newly-created subdivisions of former Fata have not been included in the programme.

Official documents show that 45 damaged schools would be reconstructed in South Waziristan in addition to the reconstruction of 10 basic health facilities, 190 drinking water schemes and 57 mosques.

North Waziristan has got Rs1.05 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation of 69 boys and girls schools, 17 basic health units, 32 drinking water schemes and 11 irrigation schemes.

The department has provided Rs1.1 billion to Kurram tribal district to reconstruct 41 schools, 13 basic health units and 64 drinking water schemes mostly in the central part of the area. The document shows that Rs360 million will be spent on the reconstruction of schools in Kurram.

A resident of central Kurram said drinking water was the major problems for locals as water supply schemes were damaged after displacement.

Rs1.04 billion has been released for the reconstruction of 36 schools, 13 health units and 24 drinking water schemes in Orakzai district, while the department has included 22 damaged schools of Bajaur district in the rehabilitation plan.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2019