PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has ordered the handing over of the newly-established building of Hangu prison to the relevant department within a month.

During a meeting with parliamentarians of southern districts here on Thursday, the chief minister also asked officials to ensure speedy work on the university campus in Hangu.

He said feasibility study and PC-I of the project should be completed in the minimum possible time, said an official statement.

The participants were informed that a total of 37 public issues of important nature were identified in different sectors of southern districts and 12 of them had been resolved, while work on the rest was in progress.

Mr Mahmood directed the higher education department to take necessary steps to ensure the availability of staff in the government colleges of Hangu and repatriation of all professors and lecturers working in other departments on deputationto fill vacancies in institutions of higher education.

He urged officials to focus on the resolution of issues in social sectors, including health, education and public health engineering, and ordered the completion of all development activities in those sectors on priority.

The chief minister ordered immediate steps for the operationalisation of health facilities and directed the secretaries of the health and communication and works departments to visit the Doaba hospital for the purpose and file a report with him.

He said all provincial departments should ensure handing and taking over of the newly-completed buildings for utilisation in the larger public interest.

Mr Mahmood added that no delay would allowed in that respect.

He agreed to the proposal regarding the establishment of a darul aman in DI Khan and directed the relevant authorities to make it part of the scheme already approved for setting up shelter homes in the province.

The chief minister also ordered the completion of drinking water schemes in the water-stressed areas in a phased manner and said the government would go all-out to ensure that the issue of clean drinking water in southern region is resolved in the next two years.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2021