PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Tuesday informed the provincial government that it required over Rs9.6 billion for meeting their needs in the merged districts.

KP police chief Dr Sanaullah Abbasi informed a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan that the department needed Rs9.622 billion for recruitments, purchasing uniforms, vehicles, arms and ammunition, telecommunication equipment, protective gears, and armoured personal carriers, besides building infrastructure and conducting trainings in merged districts.

The meeting was informed that Rs289 million had been released for purchase of 78 vehicles for police in the merged districts, while a summary for procurement of arms and ammunition with a financial outlay of Rs3.06 billion had also been sent to the home department for approval.

It was informed that funding for construction of police infrastructure amounting to Rs7.3 billion had been approved, of which, Rs1.8 billion had been allocated for financial year 2019-20.

It was further informed that the government had approved PC-I amounting to Rs1.2 billion for training of Levies and Khasadar personnel, of which, Rs185 million had already been released.

The meeting agreed upon fast track processing of summaries and provision of funds.

In a separate meeting with a delegation from Abbottabad led by MPA Nazeer Abbasi, Mahmood Khan approved funding for construction of Upper Dhani Road.

He also directed the initiation of work on Sarhan High School, Abbottabad.

The chief minister also assured construction of buildings for Boi and Bakot degree colleges. He said a 16-kilometre-long road from Boi to Ghari Habibullah and Boi to Thandiani would be constructed soon.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2020