PESHAWAR, Oct 1: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said that water filtration plants will be installed in every district of the province to provide clean drinking water to people.

He said that he would meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Oct 11 to ensure the installation of filter plants in every district.

Addressing symposium on hepatitis organized by the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) on Saturday, he said that plans were afoot for the provision of safe drinking water and said that for all tehsil municipal administrations (TMAs) had been directed to replace the rusted drainage and water supply pipeline in their respective areas.

He said it was the duty of the government and health professionals to create awareness among the people regarding hepatitis.

Mr Durrani urged non-governmental organizations to play their role in the provision of health facilities to the people. “People have lost confidence in the public sector organizations for which we have to struggle hard to restore the image of the government,” he said.

He said all district headquarters hospitals had been upgraded and medicines were being supplied to rural health care outlets and basic health units to provide health facilities to people at their doorsteps.

He announced Rs5 million grant for the treatment of hepatitis patients and urged doctors and philanthropists to help the government in its efforts to curtail the disease.

Mr Durrani brushed aside the impression that the government was meddling in the third phase of the local body polls and was campaigning for its candidates.

“We are persuading voters to cast their votes in favour of honest and competent candidates so the system could sail smoothly,” he said.

The MMA had authorized all its component parties to forge alliances with other parties at tehsil and district levels, he said, adding that district-level politics could not be equated with the provincial or national politics.

A meeting of the MMA leaders, he said, had been convened after Oct 6 to show the alliance’s strength to those spreading rumours about rift among the component parties of the alliance.

Mr Durrani said that his government would not accept the NFC Award if its demands were not met.

Health Minister Inayatullah Khan said the government had decided to launch a campaign to raise the level of public awareness about the hepatitis.

“Prevention costs nothing while the cost of treatment was exorbitantly high,” Mr Khan said.

PGMI Dean Dr Arshad Javaid, Dr Ejaz Khan, Dr Aamir Ghafoor, Dr Nauman Niaz, Dr Mohammad Zareef, Dr Sirajuddin Ahmed, Dr Nasiruddin Azam Khan and others also spoke addressed the symposium.

HASBA BILL: The chief minister said that controversial clauses pointed out by the Supreme Court of Pakistan had been erased from the draft Hasba Bill and would be tabled in the next session of the provincial assembly.

“Members of the opposition would also be taken into confidence regarding Hasba Bill,” he said.