PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has said his government has taken concrete measures to bring people of the newly-merged tribal districts into mainstream and bringing considerable improvement in services delivery.
“After the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas became part of KP, the provincial departments were extended to the newly-merged districts and a special development programme was initiated with the sole purpose to address longstanding deprivations of the residents of those districts,” Mr Mahmood said in a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Saturday.
The chief minister said that during the last four years, his government successfully addressed multiple challenges, including the merger of Fata with the province, and outbreak of novel coronavirus.
“Despite multiple challenges, we [government] proved that it is not only committed to the development and prosperity of the tribal districts but is also taking all possible steps for this purpose,” he said.
Mahmood says service delivery in region has improved significantly
According to the statement, around 28,000 Levies and Khasadar personnel were absorbed in the police department, more than 4,000 project employees of the formerly Fata were regularised, and development projects in all sectors were initiated for efficient services delivery.
“Seventeen health care facilities were outsourced, while billions of rupees were spent on provision of medical equipment besides making sure availability of emergency medicine to provide quality health care to people at local level,” it said. Measures have also been taken in other sectors, including the provision of scholarships to male and female students of tribal districts worth Rs3.5 billion rupees, recruitment of 10,000 new teachers, construction of 2,485 playgrounds and repair of 1,439 school boundary walls and 1,585 classrooms.
The statement added that 317 science and information technology laboratories were established in the province besides the solarisation of 300 mosques, construction of 441km roads, rehabilitation of 612km roads, construction of 11 bridges, installation of 1,050km 11KV power lines, establishment of 48 micro-hydro power plants, construction of seven new grid stations, and installation of over 1,000 transformers and 105 feeders.
According to it, Rs1.1 billion was distributed among small and medium enterprises in tribal districts, Mohmand Marble City was established and small industrial estates was set up in Bajaur and South Waziristan tribal districts, and 1,848 small- and medium-scale industries were revived in tribal districts.
The statement also revealed the provision of seeds for 33,000 acres of land and fruit plants for 30,000 acres of land, and establishment of fruit nurseries on 28,000 acres of land in tribal districts. A total of Rs5 billion funds were spent on the rehabilitation of sports facilities to promote sports in those districts.
According to it, more than 65,000 meters flood protection walls have been constructed besides the establishment of 16 small dams, 38 check dams and 148 irrigation tubewells.
“Some 25 tehsil municipal administrations and 711 village and neighbourhood councils have been established in the merged districts, while 1,382 water supply schemes have been completed.”
A total of 73 police stations and 54 police posts were made functional in tribal districts and weapons and other equipment worth Rs2 billion were provided to the police in the region.
“For the first time, local body elections were held in tribal districts so that the development of the region is ensured through local representatives,” according to the statement.
Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2022