Govt planning 3 more varsities in Rawalpindi division: Minister

Rawalpindi-The government is working on establishment of 3 new universities in the division to serve the needs of the masses.

The government is also planning to build small and big dams on all seasonal ‘nullahs’ besides speeding up work on Dadocha and Chihan dams to overwhelm water shortage in the twin cities.

In order to provide adequate medical facilities to the needy, the government will complete construction work of Rawalpindi Institute of Urology.

These views were expressed by Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ghulam Sarwar Khan while talking to media after chairing District Development Committee meeting here on Saturday.

The meeting was held at the Deputy Commissioner Officer which was also attended by DC Chaudhry Ali Randhawa, MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafique, MPAs Raja Saghir, Ammar Siddique, Chaudhry Adnan, Additional District Collector (Revenue) Zaigham Nawaz, assistant commissioners Saddar and Murree Ahmed Hassan Ranjha and Imtiaz Khichi, sub-registrar Iqbal Sanghara, officials of Public Works, Highway, Health, Education and other departments.

Addressing the media, the federal minister said that the government had acres of land in Taxila, Gujar Khan and at Rakh Dhamial which was of no use. “We have decided to build Potohar University at Gujar Khan while Gandhara University in Taxila and University of Technology at Rakh Dhamial,” he claimed.

He said that people of twin cities have been facing acute water shortage for which the government had also decided to build Dadocha, Chihan and all other small and big dams to cater the water needs. “With storage of water in dams, the environment will also improve and become healthier,” he stated. He said that all development projects came under discussion in the meeting. “PTI government is going to present budget in June 2019 and it was decided to take schemes from MPAs and MNAs regarding their constituencies”, he said.

He said that the PTI government was committed to provide basic needs to masses at their door steps.  He said that government was also taking concrete steps to execute two major projects, Ring Road and Leh Expressway, to lessen the burden of traffic.

On a query about stopping SNGPL officials from installing a loop in main gas line to improve pressure at Dhoke Lal Shah by former Nazim PML-N Chaudhry Ilyas, the minister said that nobody would be allowed to intervene into officials matters related to public betterment. He, however, refused to comment over involvement of managements of big housing societies in occupying state land near Dadocha Dam.

On the other hand, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, MNA, told media that government had asked the MPs to present development schemes to the DC Office so that funds could be allocated for execution of these schemes. “It will be hard and impossible task for the MPs to table schemes with the DC one by one as this process is much timing consuming”, he said. “No way, nobody can execute the mega project of Leh Expressway without the help of Sheikh Rashid, the federal minister”, said Sheikh Rashid Shafique in response to a query that PTI wanted to sideline Sheikh Rashid during implementation of Leh Expressway project.

Meanwhile, a meeting was also held at the TMA Hall to review the cases pertaining to government land occupied by private people. The meeting was chaired by ADCR Zaigham Nawaz and attended by tehsildar, naib tehsildars, ACs Saddar, Kallar Syedan, Gujar Khan, In-charge of Computerised Land Record centres Raja Bazaar and Rawat and other land revenue officers.

 

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