MARDAN: Mardan city mayor Hamayatullah Mayar on Monday demanded of the provincial caretaker government to withdraw its recent decision not to acquire 1,000 acres of land for setting up the proposed Bacha Khan Medical College, Khyber Institute of Neuro Research (KINR) and a cancer hospital in the district.

He made the demand while addressing a special meeting of the tehsil council here. Councillors, leaders of political parties, traders, representatives of student organisations and others were in attendance.

Mr Mayar recalled that the Awami National Party during its tenure in the province from 2008 to 2013 had allocated 5,000 acres of land, including 2,000 acres for Abdul Wali Khan University, 2,000 acres for Agricultural and Engineering University, and 1,000 acres for Bacha Khan Medical College, Khyber Institute of Neuro Research and a cancer hospital.

However, he said the last PTI government had decided not to go ahead with acquisition of the land for Bacha Khan College, Khyber Institute of Neuro Research and cancer hospital, which the caretaker provincial government recently implemented due to the reported non-availability of funds.

The mayor regretted that the people of Mardan division were being deprived of the benefits of these projects due to the decision of the current government.

He said survey and project planning for setting up a modern cancer hospital in Mardan had already been completed, but the government’s decision had distressed the people.

He also said that projects like construction of the District Headquarters Hospital, Pakistan’s third-largest Benazir Bhutto Children Hospital and other significant initiatives had been left halfway.

Mr Mayar criticised the provincial government for allocating funds every year for what he said lossmaking Bus Rapid Transit in Peshawar, but not allocating Rs3.5 billion for the owners of 1,000 acres.

He appealed to all the political leaders, students, lawyers, traders, doctors and the people of Mardan at large to come together and raise their voice for their rights.

Mr Mayar said Mardan was the second-largest district in the province, contributing significantly to taxes on tobacco, marble, sugar and other items, but it was being ‘deliberately’ kept neglected in development.

The participants strongly condemned the decision of the provincial government and pledged to fight collectively for their rights.

Later, led by Mr Mayar, the participants of the meeting protested outside the office of the Mardan division commissioner.

They presented a protest memorandum to the commissioner, demanding that Rs3.5 billion be released immediately for payment to the landowners.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023