RAWALPINDI: The government has decided to build new hospitals and work on the construction of five dams has been initiated to resolve the water supply issue in Rawalpindi district.
Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said in a press release on Monday that the government has decided to construct a new 100-bed hospital at a cost of Rs500 million near Chakri, for which 93 acres of government land had been allotted.
The hospital will have an emergency section and operation theatre, he said.
A 300-bed hospital will also be built along the Ring Road near Rawat and a 100-bed government hospital near Kahuta, he added.
Mr Sarwar said that he, along with MNAs Sadaqat Abbasi, Raja Saghir, Wasiq Qayyum and Haji Ahmed, were making efforts to start work on these hospitals and hopefully all four will be operational between 2022 and 2023.
Work begun on Daducha Dam which is expected to be completed in two years
The number of patients from Attock, Jhelum, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Murree, Taxila, Kot Syedan, Abbottabad, and Hazara will be reduced by 50pc while the number of beds in the three allied hospitals will also be increased from 100 to 300, the minister added.
Furthermore, he said, work has begun on the construction of the Rs3.5 billion Daducha Dam which is expected to be completed in two years.
The construction of the Papin Dam in Chak Beli union council (UC) has been approved by the government while in UC Chauntra work on the construction of Mujahid Dam has begun, he said.
The minister added that work has also been initiated on a project to supply water from Chhan Dam to its adjoining areas, the cost of which is expected to be Rs5 billion.
Chhan dam will supply water to UC Church, Chak Jalaldin, Mohri Ghazan, Kotha Kalan, Morgah, Lakkhan, Dhaman Syedan, Adiala Road, Kaliyal, and Gulshanabad.
All five dams are expected to be completed by the end of 2023, he said, adding that the Chhan and Chirah dams are expected to be completed in 2022 and will help supply water around the clock to residents apart from feeding agricultural fields in the district.
Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2020