Talking points: CM inaugurates Rs1bn road-widening project

Says Rs3.3 billion been approved to fill vacant posts of doctors

ABBOTABAD: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said the health, education, police and revenue departments are being restructured to ensure the provision of rights and privileges to the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Rs1 billion Abbottabad-Murree Road widening project on Sunday.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’s agenda is to revamp existing rights, privileges and facilities to empower citizens and generate a positive impact on the country,” he said. “Constructing roads will not help PTI increase its vote bank. However, reforms in departments would win the confidence of the people.”



According to Khattak, officials at police stations, schools, hospitals and various government departments will have to provide facilities to the people without expecting anything in return. “Government employees have to prove they are meant to serve the public not just influential sections of society,” he said.

The CM added the provincial government will not construct new buildings for various departments. On the contrary, it will enhance facilities to ensure staff is equipped to address the people’s needs.

Land records

Khattak said the computerisation of land records of the revenue department is in progress and would be completed by 2017. “This will bring about transparency,” he said.

“There is a shortage of 40,000 teachers and 14,000 rooms at various schools, he said. “The provincial government has decided to address these concerns by spending Rs8 billion for the provision of missing facilities. The CM said a system has been put in place to ensure accountability. “At least 1,500 government school teachers who were habitually absent have been sacked,” he added.

According to Khattak, an additional package of Rs3.3 billion has also been approved to fill vacant posts of doctors. “Meanwhile, Rs5 billion is being spent to improve facilities at existing hospitals of the province,” he added.

The CM assured powers had been transferred to the grass-roots levels as per PTI’s manifesto.

“Powers once exercised by chief minister and others have been given to local government representatives in the province,” he said. “This will help bring about real change.”

Looking ahead

Khattak also urged the participants to support PTI if they wanted to rid the system of corruption. “A traffic warden system would be started in Abbottabad,” he said

The CM urged the Abbottabad DC to ensure all patwaris are performing their duties in accordance with their mandate. “If the DC fails to implement orders in this regard, I will take action against him,” he added.

He announced Rs50 million to establish more graveyards in Abbottabad city and a football ground in Dhamtor village.

VIP protocol? Shops forcibly closed down in Haripur

Shops and business centres were forcibly closed down on Railway Road in Haripur on Sunday. The decision was taken by the police in a bid to ensure foolproof security for the chief minister and his entourage.

Insiders familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune Chief Minister Pervez Khattak made a brief stopover at Haripur before visiting Abbottabad to offer condolences to former state minister for finance Omar Ayub Khan over the death of his mother.

Although police, bomb disposal unit and the Elite force personnel had been deployed for Khattak’s security, the police forced traders from Qureshi Market to Panian Chowk to pull down their shutters. As a result, businesses remained suspended for nearly two hours. Shopkeepers were allowed to reopen when Khattak’s helicopter took off from a government school.

When contacted, Haripur DSP Headquarters Ishtiaq Khan said the order only applied to vendors and not all shopkeepers.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st,  2015.