PESHAWAR, June 23: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government has claimed to have allocated Rs6.039 billion for 94 ongoing and 29 new schemes for expansion, renovation and development of Peshawar in the last four years.

Briefing journalists about development plans for Peshawar at the media centre of the information department here on Saturday, Minister for Information Asif Iqbal Daudzai said the provincial government had allocated Rs70 million for upgradation of 21 primary and middle schools in the district. He said that since coming to power the provincial government saw the education sector as a priority area.

Minister for Auqaf and Haj and president of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Peshawar, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani and Peshawar Nazim Ghulam Ali were also present on the occasion.

Giving details about the ongoing schemes, Mr Daudzai said Rs160 million had been allocated for construction of a new building for the Government Girls’ College, Gulshan-i-Rehman Colony, Peshawar, and a multi-storey building for the Educational Complex.

The minister said Rs620 million had been allocated for establishment of a services hospital, the Khyber Institute of Child Health, Institute of Cardiology (phase-II), Khyber Medical University, Women and Children Hospital and other ongoing projects in Peshawar.

He said Rs76.83 million had been set aside for five ongoing drinking water schemes and Rs174 million for construction and widening of various link roads.

The minister said Rs772.574 million would be spent on improvement and construction of seven roads and Rs310 million would be spent on five agriculture-related schemes.

Mr Daudzai said Peshawar’s heritage would be preserved for which Rs147 million had been allocated for ongoing schemes in Qissakhwani, Gor Gathri and Sethi Mohallah. He said Rs24.172 million would be spent on three mosques.

He said Rs369.929 million had been allocated for nine new schemes in the health sector. He said Rs52 million had been fixed for new drinking water schemes.

Eleven MPAs had been given Rs110 million for schemes under the Tameer-i-Sarhad programme, said the minister.

The district nazim said the provincial government had provided Rs9 billion to the City District Government this year. He said widening of main roads was a priority for the government.

He said that during restoration of the circular road, 200 houses and four mosques had to be demolished.