CHITRAL: The provincial government has approved Rs900 million for purchase of 400 kanals of land for constructing the building of the University of Chitral.

A source in the higher education department told Dawn on Sunday the chief minister had already approved the summary of the amount and after fulfillment of some codal formalities it would be released.

He said the federal government would allocate funds in the forthcoming fiscal year for construction of the varsity’s own building.

The federal government had also released Rs3 billion in 2017-18, but the amount lapsed as no land could be purchased.

As per the valuation table maintained by the revenue department for the year 2020-21, the price of a kanal is Rs2.35 million, and with the available money, 382.93 kanals can be purchased. The land for the varsity will be purchased right in front of the existing campus of the university in Seen Lusht, near the Chitral city.

After the 18th Constitutional Amendment, land is provided by the provincial government while the federal government bears expenses of the infrastructure development of a university.

The University of Chitral was inaugurated by then Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan and chief minister Pervez Khattak on July 5, 2017, by merging the regional campuses of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University and Abdul Wali Khan University.

Special assistant to the chief minister, Wazirzada told Dawn that the federal government had already released Rs1.75 billion during the current fiscal year which would be used for infrastructure development after acquisition of land.

He said more funds to this effect would be released during the forthcoming fiscal year.

TELE-MEDICINE SYSTEM: Tele-medicine system has been started in the District Headquarters Hospital, Chitral, thus offering an opportunity of one-on-one meeting between the patient here and the doctor in the Services Hospital Peshawar.

Medical superintendent Dr Shamim and focal person of the programme, Dr Ziaullah Khan, told mediapersons that the online facility would save most patients from being referred to the tertiary hospitals in Peshawar.

They said majority of patients seeking treatment in cardiology, ENT, eye and skin departments were referred to Peshawar when complications arose during treatment.

They said the tele-medicine system would relieve the patients of heavy expenses incurred on their travel to Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2020