HARIPUR, June 13: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani laid the foundation-stone of Rs194.355 million Khairbara Dam at the Ghazi village here on Wednesday. The dam, on completion, will irrigate 1,600 acres of land and will supply potable water to three villages — Ghazi, Hamlet and Khalo.

Addressing a public gathering held in the village to mark the occasion, he said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government was committed to bringing about improvement in the living standard of people and was trying to put an end to the sense of deprivation among them.

He said that he always fought for the rights of his province, adding that he had never compromised on the rights of the people. He said the next provincial budget would be pro-poor which would bring real development to the province.

“I never discriminated between the opposition and treasury benchers and distributed funds equally among all MPAs,” the chief minister said. He accused the federal government of creating hurdles in the disbursement of Tarbela’s royalty to the province.

The chief minister also laid the foundation-stone of 6km-long Jhari Kass-Ghazi road estimated to cost Rs111.872 million and announced a degree college for Tanawal areas of Haripur.

Mr Durrani approved Rs100 million for the construction of 210-bed district headquarters hospital, creation of the Kakotri union council in Haripur, bridge on Chappar road, a women vocation centre for Ghazi, upgradation of the Zubaida Aman Girls Degree College, Ghazi, to the Post-Graduate College, construction of the Tehsil complex building for Ghazi and other small development projects.