PESHAWAR, Nov 28: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said he has constituted a committee to find a suitable place for construction of an education complex. The complex would cater to the growing educational needs of people.

He was presiding over a meeting of the annual development programme here on Monday. The meeting was attended by senior Minister Sirajul Haq, Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Additional Chief Secretary Mir Laiq Shah, administrative secretaries and DCOs from across the province.

The meeting approved a proposal to immediately start evening shifts in two schools of Peshawar city on an experimental basis. After its success the scheme would be extended to other schools of the city.

The chief minister criticized delay in implementation and below-the-target utilisation of various projects and said there was no justification for the delay.

“This is a criminal approach. Wastage of resources and laxity on the part of provincial functionaries would not be tolerated,” he added.

The meeting recommended that work on judicial complex in various districts be expedited. It directed selection/identification of sites for 30 different schemes, including a cadet college in Swat.

It considered a proposal for Mental Hospital Peshawar and directed the department concerned settle the issue as expeditiously as possible. It also directed early completion of all formalities for setting up the proposed Khyber Institute of Child Healthcare.

The meeting reviewed Rs203 million special development package for Kala Dhaka, Rs150 million for Kohistan and Rs2,700 million for Malakand Rural Development Project.

Mr Durrani asked the district governments to initiate construction of additional rooms, latrines and other facilities in educational institutions of their respective districts and recruit more primary teachers. He furtherr asked them to conduct monthly meetings with federal agencies to find out solutions of their problems.

He also asked Wapda, the Sui Northern Gas Company and other agencies working under the federal government to complete their tasks as early as possible.

The CM directed the Science and Technology department to enhance its capacity for full exploitation of resources made available to it.

He stressed early completion of foreign-funded development schemes in various social sectors and said funds allocated for them had already been released.