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None of 29 colleges okayed by PTI govt established, PA told

By Mohammad Ashfaq 2017-10-28
PESHAWAR: Not a single college approved by the current PTI-led government has been established in the province during the last four years, the higher education department disclosed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday.

The department said the government had approved the establishment of 10 colleges in the province during 2014-15 and 19 during 2015-16 but work didn`t begin on 17 of them due to change in building design.

It however said the construction of the remaining nine colleges was under way.

The department shared the information with the house in response to a question of ANP member Syed Jaffar Shah.

Deputy Speaker Prof Mehar Taj Roghani chaired the session.

Responding to the question, adviser to the chief minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani attributed the delay in the colleges` construction with the deliberations of the higher education department on changes in the building design.

`The newly-introduced design has significantly decreased the project cost,` he claimed.

The adviser said unavailability of land free of charge or at the pnce offered by the government was also toblame for the delay in the colleges` establishment. He said the colleges approved by the previous government were established in the tenure of the current government.

`In the four years tenure of the PTI, the construction of 43 colleges approved by the previous government was completed,` he said.

Mr Ghani said under the previous plan, the establishment of a college was to cost Rs250 million but the new building design reduced the cost to Rs150 million.

He held the respective district governments responsible for failure to acquire land for colleges.

`The acquisition of land is the responsibility of the district administration concerned,` he said.

Lawmaker Jaffar Shah said delay in the acquisition of land for schools and colleges was a very serious issue and that a large number of children didn`t get education despite the approval of schools and colleges by the government.

He demanded of the government to devise a mechanism for the purchase oflandforthepurose.

Sattar Khan of the PML-N said the acquiring of land for schools and colleges was a very serious issue as several lawmakershadraisedittimeandagain.

He wondered if the provincial government was unable to devise a policy forthepurchaseofland.

`The entire province has been affected by the old criteria for the acquiring of land,` he said.

The opposition lawmaker said the delay in the purchase of land was not an issue as everyone was ready to giveland at the market`s rate but the government was bent upon purchasing land at meagre price.

The house also passed a resolution unanimously demanding a separate electricity supply company for Hazara division on the pattern of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

The resolution was moved by adviser to the chief minister on HED Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, who also belongs to Hazara. In his resolution, Mr Ghani demanded of the provincial government to recommend to the federal government to create a separate power company for Hazara.

`If a separate electricity supply company is established, it will benefit millionsof consumersin Hazara,`he said.

Adviser to the chief minister for population welfare Shakeel Ahmed Khan drew the house`s attention to the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Levies Force personnel in Malakand. He alleged that the local deputy commissioner was involved in the appointment of the force in violation of merit.

Mr Shakeel of the PTI said his party`s agenda was to bring transparency in each aspect of the government but the DC of Malakand was involved in irregularities.

`It is in violation of the PTI`s agenda,` he said.

The chair announced the formation of a three-member committee of the house to probe the matter.

Members of the committee include information minister Shah Farman, law minister Imtiaz Shahid and CM adviser Shakeel Ahmad Khan. The chair later prorogued the session.