KOHAT, June 4: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has pledged a judicious distribution of resources among the backward areas of the province.

He was speaking at public gatherings held in Kohat in connection with the ground breaking of the Kohat board building near Jarma, inauguration of the Jinnah Library, and construction of a park at the Kohat Spring Valley on Tuesday.

Also, the governor reviewed the progress of work on the construction of the municipal plaza at the site of the old jail building which is one of the mega-projects of the city undertaken by the local government.

During the governor’s visit, the Kohat division remained without electricity due to a breakdown in the main Rawalpindi road grid station. The power was suspended at 7 in the morning and could not be restored till 1.30pm. The worst hit part is the city-2 locality which has remained without power for 25 days during the last two months.

At a briefing held at the new library, the governor was informed that initially Rs4 million would be spent on the purchase of rare books, computers and furniture. A gym and a civil club for concerts and mushairas would be included in the building at an extra cost of Rs5 million to be provided by the district government itself.

The governor said that development of backward areas was one of the government’s priorities and added that he would make sure that each area got its due share.

He said the government had decided, in principle, to empower the district governments to make appointments up to the high level schools. Similarly, in health sector, such powers had been delegated to the district governments from grade 1 to 15.