CHITRAL: Malakand division commissioner Syed Zaheerul Islam has identified the land for construction of the University of Chitral’s main campus.

A knowledgeable source told Dawn that Rs2 billion allocated by the federal government for construction of the varsity building in 2018 remained unutilised as the provincial government had failed to fulfill its responsibly of providing land.

He said the Planning Commission had given a last chance to the provincial government to either provide land or surrender the amount to the federal government as such an amount cannot be used for any other purpose in the province.

He said the paucity of funds was the main obstacle to acquiring 400 kanals of land for which Rs1.8 billion was required, while the provincial government’s allocation for the purpose for the current fiscal was only Rs50 million.

The source said the Malakand division commissioner had convened the meeting of the special committee, also comprising the elected representatives, which selected the site along the Garam Chashma Road near the Chitral city.

The source said after deliberations, the committee decided to choose Seen Lusht village for the establishment of the main campus of the university, while a sub-campus would be established in Upper Chitral.

“The land acquired in Syed Abad (Ispagh Lusht) some years ago was not considered for the purpose on the grounds that it was only 166 kanals against the required area of 400 kanals, while the site had also been declared unfeasible geologically,” he said.

He added the meeting decided to return the present building of the university back to the technical education department, which had constructed it in 2009 for establishment of a polytechnic institute.

However, the then Awami National Party government had opened the Chitral campus of the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan there.

Lower Chitral deputy commissioner Hassan Abid confirmed the selection of the site for the university campus at Seen Lusht and said the Rs50 million allocated for the purpose would be utilised to purchase land.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2021