RAWALPINDI, April 24: The Punjab government on Tuesday released Rs70 million for the construction of a new boys degree college in the Khayaban-i-Sir Syed locality of Rawalpindi city.

The Mian Shahbaz Sharif Government Degree College for Boys will be built on 18 kanals of land owned by the Housing and Physical Planning Department. The project aims to provide educational facility to the students at their doorsteps who at the moment have to get admission to institutions in other areas due to lack of a degree college in the locality.

PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan told Dawn on phone from Lahore on Tuesday that the provincial government had released the funds for the project, adding it would be the first degree college for boys to be built in the city after 36 years.

“In the past, educational institutions were upgraded but no new college was established. We are grateful to the chief minister for giving us a new degree college and there is no harm if it is named after him (Shahbaz Sharif),” said the PML-N lawmaker elected from NA-55.

“The official name of the college will be Mian Shahbaz Sharif Government  College for Boys and if somebody opposes the name, we have other options. But since the college is being established by the chief minister, it would be better to name it after him,” Mr Awan remarked. He said tenders would be floated soon for undertaking civil work at the site.

However, officials and political observers said projects named after politicians in the past had never been materialised as the following governments scrapped them due to political rivalry.

They said Sheikh Rashid Expressway along Leh Nullah was shelved during the present PML-N government despite the fact that 30 per cent work on the project had been completed and funds were also available. The college will meet the same fate if it is not completed immediately.

It may be noted that already the city has a park named after PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. Last year, there was a proposal from PML-N legislator Hanif Abbasi to name another public park after Mr Sharif but the then commissioner Zahid Saeed reportedly objected to it.

Besides, Murree Road, Islamabad International Airport and Rawalpindi General Hospital have been renamed after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto while there is Liaquat Bagh named after another former Prime Minister Liaqaut Ali Khan.