PESHAWAR, Sept 16: NWFP Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Sardar Mohammad Idrees has urged architects to help the people by constructing such houses which could protect them from natural calamities and disasters.

He was addressing the opening ceremony of the Institute of Architect of Pakistan, Peshawar chapter, at a local hotel here on Saturday.

He said that the land of the NWFP was highly fertile and there was no paucity of talent in the region. He said that people here had special skills to run the administrative affairs.

Mr Idrees said that during the previous three years of the MMA tenure the Public Service Commission, NWFP, had selected talented candidates who would become an asset for the province.

He said that construction had been suspended in the earthquake-hit areas temporarily, but it would be started again after the announcement of codes.

He asked the Institute of Architect of Pakistan, Peshawar chapter, to provide guidance to the affected people of quake-hit areas in the reconstruction of their homes.

He urged upon the chairman of the Peshawar chapter to induct a female in the cabinet as the local government had allocated 33 per cent quota for females in the local bodies elections.

The minister assured full cooperation to the Institute of Architect of Pakistan, Peshawar chapter, on behalf of the government and announced Rs20,000 as donation from his own pocket for the institute.

WORKSHOP: A regional level workshop on “Magisterial powers, probation and parole ordinance” was held at a local hotel on Saturday under the aegis of the Peshawar High Court.

Districts and Session Judge Peshawar Shah Jehan Khan Akhundzada presided over the workshop. The district and session judges, additional session judges, senior civil judges and civil judges from different districts of the NWFP — including Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat and Swabi — participated in it.—-PPI