The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party has approved Rs 5790 million for dozens of development projects of tribal areas of DG Khan and Rajanpur districts in south Punjab. These projects include up gradation of social infrastructure, education, health facilities, community development, livestock and dairy development and a comprehensive drinking water supply system to be installed in tribal areas identification of water sources, construction of dykes and ponds had begun.
According to official sources, turbines, tube wells, water supply lines and deep wells would be installed for the purpose. 1,180 solar power systems would be distributed among villages, besides training of 567 people to operate and repair the solar power systems. 143-kilometre long road are also being constructed in the tribal areas at the cost of Rs 262 million.
They said that the government wanted to improve living conditions of the people living in far lung tribal areas therefore it has launched the multi million Tribal Areas Development Project to be completed on fast track.
P&D spokesman Atif Qureshi told Business Recorder that the PDWP also approved three projects in its 5th meeting of the current fiscal year 2016-17. Provincial Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Members of the Planning & Development Board, Provincial Secretaries concerned and other senior representatives of the relevant Provincial Departments also attended the meeting. The three approved development scheme included:
1. Augmentation / Improvement of Disposal Stations Multan Phase-I at the cost of Rs 591.000 million,
2. Third Party Assessment and Validation of Khadam-e-Punjab Rural Roads Program (KPRRP-Phase-III) (Rehabilitation & Construction of (Rural) Roads in (09) Divisions of Punjab)(PC-II) at the cost of Rs 127.593 million and
3. Rehabilitation of road from Hafizabad (Raja Chowk) to Khanpur (Jalalpur Qadirabad Road) via Kolo Tara, length=22.85 km, District Hafizabad at the cost of Rs 452.977 million.