KPK Updates

[Syed Haider Imam]

Three small power projects to start generation this year



PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday claimed to have completed work on three hydropower projects of 56 megawatts and these would be made operational this year, while work on five other projects of 214 megawatts was in progress.
According to a statement, this was revealed during the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo) board of directors’ meeting presided over by its chairman Shakeel Durrani.
It was proposed in the meeting that Munda Dam and some other projects be included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor plan.
It said that the Asian Development Bank would assist in development of 1,000 small hydropower stations in backward areas wherein people were still deprived of electricity.
In this context, it said that three hydropower projects of 56MW were being completed this year while work on five projects of 214MW was in progress, which would be prove as a milestone in the development of industrial sector in the province.
The provincial government is taking steps to accelerate work on small power generation projects to cope with loadshedding in the province.
The meeting was also attended by secretary energy and power Mohammad Naeem Khan, additional home secretary Shahidullah, Pedo chief executive officer Akbar Ayub Khan, Senator Nauman Wazir and other officials.
Earlier, Akbar Ayub briefed the board about the pace of work on the ongoing hydropower projects in the province.
He said that three energy projects would start generation of 56MW this year.
He said that the provincial government had started work on 356 small hydel stations in areas where people were still in need of electricity. He said that the number of these hydel stations would be increased to 1,000.
During the meeting, the board also discussed the steps to be taken for the welfare of the Pedo’s employees.
Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248371/three-small-power-projects-to-start-generation-this-year

No burns centre for over 40m people of KP, Fata



PESHAWAR: Speakers at a conference here on Sunday said that precautions against fire was the only way as there was no burns centre in the province.
They said that people, who caught fire and developed injuries, mostly included children and women.
“Burn injuries are like hell on earth and survivors want deaths. There is no burn centre for over 40 million people of Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Annually 900,000 people suffer burn injuries,” Prof Ubaidullah, a former head of plastic surgery ward at Hayatabad Medical Complex, told the conference organised by Association of Plastic Surgeons Pakistan.

---

Experts say precautions only way to remain safe from burn injuries

---

He said that 70 per cent of the people in most productive age group of 15to 35 with 80 per cent women and 50 per cent children happened to be lesser than five years were among the sufferers. According to him, 80 per cent incidents occurred in bathrooms and bedrooms due to use of heaters and hot water for washing of clothes in lawn apart from jumbled up and hanging electricity wires in the neighbourhoods.
“Annually, 26,000 persons die of burns injuries and 5,000 face developed disabilities, scars and disfigurement of their bodies. In Canada, a burn centre was recently closed due to awareness,” said Prof Ubaidullah.
He said that consulting right doctor at the right time reduced chances of complications but victims of minor burns often went into wrong hands. “Early treatment has not only prompt recovery but costs less than one has to bear due to belayed treatment and the expenditure runs into million with unsatisfactory results,” he added.
Prof Ubaidullah said that establishment of a burn centre cost billion of rupees. He said that treatment was costly and the staff working with burn patients suffered from depression. “Prevention costs nothing,” he added.
Prof Ubaidullah said that law regarding laying electricity wires and connections should be implemented to prevent occurrence of avoidable deaths. Repeated awareness campaign by media could do wonders, he said.

He also suggested appropriate use of fire, utensils and kitchen items, covering naked electricity wires in home and avoiding use of plastic gas pipes as well as taking care of inflammable articles in a kitchen where ventilation was very important.
Children should neither be left alone at home nor allowed in kitchen, he said, adding that they should have no access to match box or firelighters.
Dr Ubaidullah recommended pouring abundant water on burn injuries immediately and said that the victim should be undressed before putting off the fire to reduce quantum of burns.
Prof Mohammad Ashraf Ganatra, Prof Nasir Zaman Khan, Prof Moazzam Nazir Tarar, Prof Ghulam Qadir Fayaz, Prof Mammon Rashid, Prof Farid Ahmed Khan, Prof Mohammad Shahab Ghani, Prof Abdul Hakim Babar, Dr Rizwan Aslam, Dr Farrukh Mahmood, Dr Mohammad Shadman, Dr Ehteshamul Haq, Dr Ahsan Masood Butt, Dr Shahab Afzal Baig, Dr Alamzeb, Dr Nahid Chaudhry, Dr Syed Asif Shah, Dr Imran Riaz, Dr Irfanullah, Dr Hidayatullah, Dr Bilal Khadim, Dr Mughis Amin, Dr Syed Mohammad Haider and others also spoke on the occasion.
They said that people, who pioneered plastic surgery, had confronted countless hurdles but then local plastic surgeons got international recognition in that area of medical sciences which was rare in 90s.
MPA Shaukat Yousafzai said that he would push the establishing of burn centre work on which was started in 1997 but couldn’t be completed owing to non-availability of funds pledged by the central government.
Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248370/no-burns-centre-for-over-40m-people-of-kp-fata


KP’s largest bus terminal being run without tax collection contract



PESHAWAR: Auction for the tax collection contract of the largest general bus stand of the province in Peshawar couldn’t be held for the last over two years because of irrational terms and conditions set by the local government department, according to sources.
Officials in the LG department said that even the contractors were not ready to participate in the bidding for auction of the bus stand tax contract as the Town-I administration’s minimum prescribed rate was very high.
The last contract of the bus stand was awarded at Rs265 million for the fiscal year 2013-14, which expired in June 2014. Since then the Town-I administration has been collecting tax from the transport vehicles on daily basis, they said.

---

Part-time contractor charging transporters heavily

---

Under the terms and conditions framed by the LG department for the auction, the contract has to be awarded at 20 per cent higher price than the previous bidding, but the contractors have refused to take it on such a high rate, the officials said.
They said that the Town-I administration had arranged bidding several times, but contractors didn’t participate as they disagreed with the 20 per cent increase.
They said that at one stage the administration started collecting tax through its own employees and the daily collection then was around Rs200,000 which was much lower compared to the amount received through the auction.
The officials said that instead of going for auction of the annual contract, the authorities at the helm of affairs gave the tax collection on daily basis to a contractor at the rate of Rs750,000 daily.
Asked how was it possible for the contractor to pay Rs750,000 daily to the Town-I when tax collection from the same bus stand was recorded at Rs200,000 by the Town-I administration’s own employees, the officials said that the administration would collect the tax according to the scheduled rate, while the contractor charged five to seven times more than that from the transporters.
“We have requested the local government department time and again to change its terms and conditions regarding auction of the bus stand’s tax collection, but in vain,” a senior official in the Town-1 administration told Dawn.
He asked how the tax collection contract could be given at a rate higher than the previous one in a situation when neither the number of vehicles nor the scheduled rate was increased. He said that as the contractor was earning a big amount of money for the Town-1, the authorities had never bothered to stop him from collecting excessive tax from the transporters. Subsequently, he said, the transporters charged high fare from the passengers.
The official said that the excessive tax collection by the contractor was in the knowledge of the high-ups of Town-I and LG department, but they were silent because in this way the government was earning a big amount of money daily, he said.
The scheduled tax for a Hiace coach plying between Peshawar and Rawalpindi was Rs 90, but the contractor was charging Rs550 from owner of each coach. For Peshawar-Haripur the official tax was Rs76, but the contractor was receiving Rs420 and similarly tax for the Peshawar-Swat coaches had been fixed at Rs80 while the owners had to pay Rs500 for each coach leaving the general bus stand.
The officials in the general bus stand’s management told Dawn that they would take action against the contractor for collecting excessive tax if the transporters lodged a written complaint with them. Asked why they didn’t lodge complaints with the management, several transporters said that the contractor was very influential persons who would dislodge their vehicles from the stand if they lodged any complaint.
Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2016





http://www.dawn.com/news/1248374/kps-largest-bus-terminal-being-run-without-tax-collection-contract

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

Work on Peshawar rapid bus system from Jan next



PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned the start of work on the Bus Rapid Transit system in the provincial capital by Jan 2017 and its completion within a year.
It has also intended to put new buses on the city’s roads by November this year.
The details of these projects were shared in a recent meeting on the BRT project and new public transport system for Peshawar.

---

Official says project to be completed in a year

---

The meeting, which took place on Feb 26, was chaired by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.
According to officials in the know, transport secretary Zubair Azhar Qureshi told participants that the Asian Development Bank had completed the pre-feasibility study of the project in April 2004 recommending the construction of five mass transit corridors in the provincial capital during the next 10 years.
The minutes of the meeting available with Dawn show under the pre-feasibility study, the Corridor 2 running from Chamkani to Karkhano Market via the GT Road and Jamrud Road is the priority corridor.
The estimated cost of the street-level BRT system is Rs11.615 billion and that of partially elevated BRT system Rs17.97 billion.
The cost also includes Rs4.75 billion for acquiring 75 buses for BRT fleet, setting up command and control centre, and installing ticketing and security systems and CCTV cameras.
The proposed alignment of the Corridor 2 shows option of passing it through Zakori Bridge on GT Road to Qila Balahisar, then elevated segment to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Bazaar and Dabgari and then overhead to Deans Plaza at start of the Peshawar Cantonment.
From Deans, the BRT will run through the pedestrianised Saddar Bazaar and will have another elevated segment from Qayyum Stadium to Tehkal and from there to Hayatabad will proceed on ground with elevated U-turns for other traffic for ground segments.
The meeting decided that PC-1 for the establishment of the project management unit should be placed before the Provincial Development Working Party and cleared by March 2016 and that the hiring of staff should be completed in three months.
The minutes note that the KP Urban Mobility Authority Act will be passed from assembly and efforts will be made to recruit the core staff for the authority, while the planning and development department will issue a letter to the Asian Development Bank showing willingness of the government for Rs1 billion loan for the project design advance and detailed engineering design.
The feasibility study of the project is likely to be completed by July 2016 and that PC-1 for the mass transit project Corridor 2 to be made at the estimated costs worked out in this study will be submitted to the PDWP, Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for early approval.
“The estimated date for the project’s clearance is Dec 2016 otherwise the whole project will not completed until Dec 2017,” the minutes note.
The meeting also decided that the Peshawar Development Authority would be the executing agency for the project and that it would shortlist and pre-qualify contractors and consultants in consultation with the ADB.
According to the minutes, the detailed designs and bidding documents will be ready by Nov 2016. The ADB consultants will submit detailed designs to the PDA for tendering.
The officials said interestingly, the transport secretary informed the meeting about the ‘realistic and optimistic’ timeline for the project.
They said under the realistic timeline, the project’s completion was likely to take place around Sept 2018, while the optimistic timeline put the date at Dec 31, 2017.
The officials said the meeting was also told that the buses would be introduced on various routes of Peshawar by November this year.
A senior government official in the know said that the chief minister was eager to see the BRT system in place during his tenure in office and that he had made it clear to all those associated for the project.
Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248216/work-on-peshawar-rapid-bus-system-from-jan-next

Court okays Rs58.4m plea bargain in corruption case

PESHAWAR: An accountability court here on Saturday approved plea bargain in a case of embezzlement in the Bajaur Agency Housing Uniform Assistance Subsidy Project.

Under the plea bargain, Mohammad Hassan had agreed to pay Rs58.4 million from the embezzled funds to the National Accountability Bureau.
Judge Mohammad Asim Imam accepted an application referred to the court by the NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for the final yet mandatory approval of the plea bargain under Section 25 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and ordered the release of the accused on payment of the said amount.

---

NAB had referred the matter to judge for mandatory nod

---

The NAB chairman has already given approval to the said plea bargain.
nder the law, the issue is referred to the accountability court for final consent.
NAB prosecutor Hasnain Tariq informed the court that the chairman had given approval to the plea bargain and the bureau had no objection if he was freed by the court.
The accused was arrested in Oct last year.
Former director general of Fata Disaster Management Authority Arshad Khan has also been arrested in the same case as prime accused.
The NAB has alleged that under the HUSAIP compensation was paid to owners of the houses that were either damaged or destroyed in the military operation against the militants in Bajaur Agency.
It stated that under the project, the government with the assistance of the USAID compensated the internally displaced persons (IDPs), whose houses had been damaged or destroyed in the military operation.
Under the project, Rs400,000 each was paid to those whose houses were completely damaged while Rs160,000 each was paid to the ones whose houses were partially damaged. Almost Rs2.5 billion was paid under the project to around 10,000 affectees hailing from Bajaur.
The Nab alleged that during inquiry, it was revealed that the accused Mohammad Hassan with the connivance of officials of the FDMA showed 100 fake or ineligible persons on the list of the affectees. The accused personas had allegedly issued compensation to the accounts of fictitious affected persons and subsequently five percent of the compensation was given to the said fake affectee whereas rests of the amount was distributed by the accused persons among themselves.
The accused Arshid Khan has also been facing charges of misappropriation of funds mean for the conflict affected persons of Mohmand Agency.
REFERENCE FILED: The NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has filed a reference in an accountability court against the former senior member of the board of revenue (SMBR), Ehtesabullah, for giving undue promotions to officials and making illegal appointments to the revenue department by misusing his office.
In the reference, the NAB alleged that the accused had not only promoted 48 officials serving as qanoongo (revenue official) but had also appointed some naib tehsildars to the department in 2009-10 when he was the SMBR.
It added that the accused had violated the 1989 Services Rules through such illegal acts. The NAB alleged that the acts of the suspect were offences under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
The accused has so far not been arrested by the NAB.
Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2016


Rs50m approved for rebuilding Karak school



KARAK: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director Education Mohammad Rafique Khattak has said Rs50 million has been approved for turning the government boys higher secondary school, Karak, into a model science school.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, he said the old building of the school would be demolished to rebuild it. He said 14 schools of the district would be upgraded to high level, adding every model school would get Rs50 million funds.
Mr Khattak said Rs30 million had also been approved for old Mohalla Shah Noor Khel school to turn it into a modal one. He said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was promoting education in the province.
He added that provincial education directorate was trying its level best to resolve the problems of teachers on their doorsteps to impart quality education to students.
SKIPPING DUTIES: Dozens of government employees have been working in private guesthouses of lawmakers.
Dawn learnt on Saturday that dozens of employees of education, health, tehsil municipal administration, communication and works, public health engineering, irrigation and other departments had been working in the guesthouses of lawmakers instead of their respective departments, and had been regularly drawing salaries from the exchequer.
On the other hand, the heads of these departments were keeping mum over the issue for their own vested interests.
LIAISON COMMITTEES: District police officer Mian Naseeb Jan has said pinpointing criminals, drug peddlers and proclaimed offenders in their respective areas is the responsibility of the liaison committees.
He was speaking at a meeting of a liaison committee of Sabirabad police station on Saturday.
He claimed he had tried his level best to take honest and upright men on the liaison committees, saying that prayer leaders of mosques had been made chairmen of the committees. The DPO said minor disputes arising from time to time would be resolved through these committees to save the hard earned money of the poor citizens, which would be otherwise spending the amount on police stations and courts.
Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2016


http://www.dawn.com/news/1248206/rs50m-approved-for-rebuilding-karak-school

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

MAR 29 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

MAR 30 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

MAR 31 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

APRIL 01 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

APR 02 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

APR 03

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

APR 04 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

05 April 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

06 April 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

April 07 2016

|

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

April 08 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

[h=1]With E-rickshaws, KP heralds pollution and noise-free transport

[/h]PESHAWAR: Electric rickshaws are easy and fun to drive. They are smaller, featuring a cleaner design, with a power electrical motor enabling fast acceleration. It also ensures that the vehicle does not emit noise, smoke, or any hazardous gases.
These innovative rickshaws— also called E-Rickshaws— are the environmentally-friendly tri-wheeler solution for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's meandering roads. Their sleek bodies and pollution-free trails will be a welcome change to roads teeming with noisy, smoke-emitting auto-rickshaws. Once approved by KP's transport department, they will hit the streets of Peshawar, and eventually, to the rest of the province.

The new E-Rickshaws do not emit noise, smoke, or any hazardous gases. —Photo by the author
Also read: Footprints: The pink rickshaw driving force
[h=4]The sixth most polluted city in the world[/h] The World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2011 report ranked Peshawar the sixth most polluted city in the world. According to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the average noise pollution (17 particles er million), far exceeds the permissible 9 PPM. In some spots, it is as much as 38 PPM.
Similarly, Peshawar's noise level is always above WHO’s limit of 85 decibels, confirms Pir Muhammad Zubair, who manages the provincial transport department's Vehicular Emission Testing Station (VETS).
Experts at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are concerned about the dangerous pollution levels. They blame the run-down vehicles plying on Peshawar's streets, which emit poisonous gases like nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, smoke and hydrocarbons into the air, rendering it unfit for human consumption.
“The emission of air pollutants is directly related to consumption of petroleum products,” Zubair explains. Road transport, which relies on fuel, is responsible for 47.2 per cent of the country's total petroleum products, both locally-produced and imported.
However, while all vehicles consume fuel and pollute the air, tri-wheelers—with their jarring thuk-thuk sounds and high gas emissions—are particularly harmful to the environment.
[h=4]Too many rickshaws[/h] "Most tri-wheelers run on two-stroke engines, which significantly contribute to air pollution,” explains Badar Zaman, vice president of the rickshaw union in Peshawar. “However, no one has taken action against this problem."
According to Regional Transport Authority Secretary Naimatullah, there are around 13,000 registered rickshaws in Peshawar, but the actual number is much higher. “We do not have the exact number of unregistered rickshaws,” Naimatullah says. He believes there are more than 50,000 registered and unregistered rickshaws in the city.
VETS has examined over 28,000 vehicles for gas emissions and noise production in 2014 and 2015, Zubair says. "Of these, over 7000 vehicles failed the tests," he remarks.

There are at least 50,000 auto-rickshaws in Peshawar alone. —Photo by the author
Read next: Lahore — a city of gardens, now a city of concrete
In developing countries, vehicles are routinely replaced or upgraded, but the average vehicle in Pakistan is over 15 years old. Zubair explains why this is another problem: "Older vehicles emit 20 times as many hydrocarbons as an average vehicle," he says. "They also emit 25 times more carbon monoxide, and 3.6 times more nitro oxides."
On the streets, this means that rickshaws routinely leave behind poisonous blankets of smoke, without realising the damage they are doing to their environment.
[h=4]Enter the e-rickshaw[/h] With no petrol, CNG and mobile-oil requirements, electric rickshaws need minimum maintenance. The E-rickshaw, which is assembled in China and Japan and then imported to Pakistan, can accommodate three to four people and can go as fast as 40 to 45 kilometers per hour. With increasing incidents of gas cylinder blasts in rickshaws, e-rickshaws are safe for travelling.
While the transport department has tested and approved the vehicles, confirming that the E-Rickshaw functions smoothly even in rain, rickshaw-drivers are a bit skeptical. "We are poor people," one driver says. "What will we do with the old rickshaws? If the government helps us out in this matter, we will welcome these vehicles."
Currently, a driver with a permit in Peshawar can buy an auto-rickshaw for as little as Rs300,000. Compared to this, the E-Rickshaw will be significantly more cost-efficient. It is estimated to launch at a cost of Rs240,000 for a new rickshaw.
[h=4]How it works[/h]
The E-Rickshaws are assembled in countries like China and Japan, from where they are imported. —Photo by the author
For charging, the E-Rickshaw requires any normal outlet (100V-240V), similar to the ones used for charging cell-phones. The battery can be charged upto 80 per cent in two hours, while a full charge takes seven hours.
“It saves fuel and CNG, and is more economical than the regular rickshaw,” says Ali, the examiner of motor vehicles at the transport department. The vehicle has been developed keeping low cost in mind— aside from the fact that it comes with zero carbon emissions, because of its low maintenance fee, it can be driven in both rural and urban areas.
An E-Rickshaw charged at 80pc battery, for example, can be driven for 50km. "Free special route permits will be issued to electric rickshaws for one year," adds Ali, explaining how the government is planning to launch two prototypes: the mini-cab, and the loader.

A prototype of the mini-cab, which can carry five people at a time. —Photo by the author

A prototype of the loader. —Photo by the author
The mini-cab comes with comfortable driving and passenger seats, and includes a luggage compartment and crystal light. It can carry five passengers comfortably at a time, and runs for 150km on a single charge. The battery comes with a 14-month warranty.
The loader, which charges quicker, comes with a driving seat and a passenger seat, and an open luggage compartment at the back. Although people can pile into the compartment, the loader is likely to be used for transporting goods and animals. Its battery comes with a 18-month warranty,
An official at the transport department who tested the e-rickshaw says it rolled silently on the streets. "People were making videos from their cell phones," he recalls, "They are not used to seeing a tri-wheeler car on the road."

http://www.dawn.com/news/1250521/

​

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

April 09 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

April 10 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

April 11, 2016

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

[h=1]No uniform policy for promotion of students in govt schools

[/h] PESHAWAR: The government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have no uniform benchmark for promotion of students in the annual home examinations rather the administration of each school decides the passing marks that could be as low as 20 per cent of the total marks, according to sources.
They said that the passing marks varied from school to school as there was no uniform policy for promotion of students from grade-1 to grade-8.
The administration of each school tries to promote the maximum number of students to discourage dropouts as the failed students often quit education, they said.
Several headmasters of the primary and high schools told Dawn that they had set no benchmark for promotion of students like the education boards had set for the secondary school certificate and higher secondary school certificate examinations.
The education boards promote the students getting a minimum of 33 per cent marks, they said.
“If we started promoting the students following the 33 per cent marks formula in the annual home examinations, the students’ failure ratio would be more than 60 per cent,” said a headmaster of a government high school.

---

[h=4]Each school has its own arrangement for promotion of students from grade-1 to grade-8[/h]

---

He said that according to the instructions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, a maximum of only 10 per cent of the students could be declared failed.
“I have promoted students of grade-V for getting only 100 aggregate marks out of total 700 in seven subjects,” said the headmaster who recently conducted the examinations.
He said that the students had to be promoted to next class even if they had zero marks in some important subjects such as mathematics, English and science, but managed to get aggregate 100 marks in the comparatively easy subjects like Urdu, Islamiyat, Pashto and Social Studies.
A headmaster of another government high school said that he had promoted students of grade-6 to grade-8 obtaining only 20 per cent marks in the home examinations.
He said that the students of the government schools belonged to very poor families and their parents were mostly uneducated. Only those parents enrol their children in the government schools who couldn’t afford fee of the private schools, he said.
“Around 70 per cent of the students enrolled in the government schools are engaged in child labour after the school timing,” he claimed.
Such students return home from job places at night and go to bed without doing homework given by their teachers, he said.
The students of government schools neither get attention of their parents nor of the teachers. “About 80 to 100 students are accommodated in one classroom of the government school, so it is physically impossible for a teacher to give proper attention to each of them,” he said.
“We cannot expect from students engaged in child labour after school hours to study at home. Similarly, we also cannot expect from teachers to properly teach to overcrowded classes,” the headmaster said.
In such a situation, the students couldn’t get required marks in the examinations and subsequently the teachers have no option, but to promote them with lesser marks, he said.
When contacted, a senior official said that the education department had not issued any criteria for the promotion of students in the home examinations. “Each school has its own arrangement,” he said.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1251398/no-uniform-policy-for-promotion-of-students-in-govt-schools


[h=1]KP govt plans to extend free cancer treatment programme

[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to extend free cancer treatment programme following a monitoring and evaluation report showed that it had benefited hundreds of poor patients, officials said.
“It has been decided that the government will allocate Rs1.9 billion for a three-year free cancer treatment programme being provided to patients at oncology ward of Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar,” they said.
The government started two separate free cancer treatment programmes in 2013 including free treatment of blood cancer patients and another for rest of the cancers during which the people received free medicines and diagnostic services regardless of their financial status.
During a presentation made to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Prof Abid Jameel, head of oncology ward at Hayatabad Medical Complex, last week elaborated the progress about both the programmes and said that the cure rate of the blood cancer programme was 90 per cent.
Blood cancer patients require life-long treatment which they can’t afford because the cost of a single patient is between Rs1 to Rs5 million or more. Even the affluent people can’t afford the cost of the treatment.
Prof Abid told Dawn that the survival rate of patients in the rest of the cancers programme was about 70 per cent which was satisfactory. Those patients required treatment for shorter duration than those of blood cancer patients but the cost beginning from Rs100,000 to Rs1 million was out of reach of patients, he said.
“We requested the chief minister to continue the programme because the people could not afford expensive treatment and were dependent on free medication. He agreed and ordered to submit a PC-1 in this regard. The programme would be approved in the next Annual Development Programme,” he added.
Prof Abid said that government carried out monitoring and evaluation of the programme, on the basis of which it agreed to allocate the desired amount in the coming budget.
About 1,300 blood cancer patients benefitted from the programme and 700 from the rest of cancer programme during the past three years, he said.
“According to record, 43 per cent of the patients were in the young age group, the most productive part of life, which affected families and caused poverty. We receive patients from four to 100 years old,” said Prof Abid.
He said that a 101-year-old patient, who started getting treatment three years back, was still alive because they provided the people targeted therapy with latest medicines and techniques.
Prof Abid said that the blood cancer treatment programme was also supported by the Novartis Pharma, which provided 90 per cent of the cost, while 10 per cent expenses were borne by the government.
“During the past three years, the Pharma has spent Rs8 billion on free treatment of the blood cancer patients. In coming three year programme, it would be spending about Rs9 billion because some new drugs would be purchased,” he said.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2016





http://www.dawn.com/news/1251367/kp-govt-plans-to-extend-free-cancer-treatment-programme

[h=1]CTD claims arresting Afghan target killer

[/h] PESHAWAR: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Saturday to have arrested an Afghan target killer involved in the murder of a traffic police official in the provincial capital.
According to a statement issued here, the accused, Sardar, was currently living in Khurasan Refugee Camp in Khazana locality on the outskirts of Peshawar.
The accused along with three accomplices had shot dead traffic police inspector, Mohammad Ayaz, near Bacha Khan Chowk on Charsadda Road in 2015, after the victim issued a ticket to him for violating traffic rules.
Police said that his three accomplices identified as Faridullah, Khan Zali and Gul Agha were arrested a few days after the incident.
The accused has been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1251197/ctd-claims-arresting-afghan-target-killer


[h=1]Private schools accused of fleecing parents

[/h] SWABI: The parents have complained about expensive books, high admission and tuition fees of the private schools. Talking to reporters on Friday, they termed the increasing expenditures unjust. They pointed out that one of the ‘tactics’ adopted by the schools was change of courses each year to charge higher for books and notebooks.
In most cases, they said, books, notebooks and other related items were sold by private educational institutions themselves, which meant that they charged as they wished.
The parents alleged that extra items were added to the list each year, financially burdening the poor parents.
The parents said admission fee, tuition fee and transport fee were increased each year, and there was no authority to check. “Students are even charged for the petrol of power generators,” said Mohammad Shahzad Khan, whose brother is enrolled in a private school.
Jabeen Qamar, an officer in a multinational company said: “I spent over Rs2,500 on purchase of books of my daughter, studying in grade-2.”
Mastan Khan of Gadoon Amazai belt said: “Purchase of books for my three children, studying in class six, four and three, cost over Rs10,000.” He said uniform, exercise books, shoes and other related items were yet to be purchased.
Parents said the most expensive books were for grade four, costing Rs3,245 followed by grade three costing Rs3,240.
They demanded that the government monitor the functioning of the private educational institutions and punish those fleecing the people. They said those acquiring education in public sector schools were given free textbooks.
“The credit of providing free education to the children in public sector schools goes to the PTI-led provincial government,” said an official.
Principal of a private school told Dawn that fees of the private schools in Swabi were much lower than their counterparts in Peshawar and Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1250908/private-schools-accused-of-fleecing-parents

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

[h=1]German envoy lauds govt for preserving heritage sites

[/h] MARDAN: German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel here on Thursday visited the ancient ruins at Takht Bhai and appreciated the taste and interest of foreign and local visitors, who had been visiting such places even at such a crucial time.
During her visit to the World Heritage Sites at Takht Bhai, she lauded the efforts of government to preserve the historical sites.
Later, the German ambassador also visited Abdul Wali Khan University. She visited different departments, central library and administration block of the university.
She took keen interest in the library where she met the PhD scholars, who have completed research in Germany. On the occasion, Vice-chancellor Dr Ihsan Ali gave her a detailed briefing about the growth and progress of the university. He said that 167 PhDs were working in the university while 87 faculty members were awarded foreign PhD scholarships.
The ambassador assured the vice-chancellor about signing memorandums of understanding in various fields.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkwha Senior Minister Sikandar Sherpao inaugurated the newly constructed building of Darul Aman at Sheikh Maltoon Town Mardan.
He said that provincial government was taking every possible and necessary step for welfare, betterment and empowerment of women.
The ceremony was also attended by German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel, Social Welfare Secretary Abdul Jabbar Khan, MPA Ubaid Mayar and Deputy Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh besides other officials and a large number of women.
The minister lauded the cooperation of German government for development and welfare of women. He thanked German government for provision of goods for renovation and beautification of the building of Darul Aman.
“We are taking practical steps for services of poor and downtrodden people of the province,” said the minister.
He added that the commission, which was established at provincial level for women development, was working fast.
Speaking on the occasion, the German ambassador said that both Pakistan and Germany had been enjoying friendly relations.
She said that the government of Germany would continue assistance for women development and good governance. She said that they believed in development and prosperity of women.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1250723/german-envoy-lauds-govt-for-preserving-heritage-sites

[h=1]Next phase of IDPs’ repatriation to start on 11th

[/h] PESHAWAR: The Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) will begin the third phase of the return of internally displaced persons to five Fata agencies on April 11.
An official concerned told Dawn that around 84,553 displaced families would go back to their homes in the third phase to be completed by the end of August.
He said under the plan, the authority was starting the programme of the IDPs’ return to Orakzai Agency from April 11 and that 15,553 families would be facilitated to go back to their homes.

---

[h=4]Official says 84,553 families to return home by Aug end[/h]

---

The official said 22,000 families would be repatriated to North Waziristan, 30,000 families to South Waziristan, 12,000 families to Kurram and 5,000 families to Khyber Agency.
Sources said Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif had directed the departments concerned to ensure the complete return of Fata IDPs to their homes before his retirement, which was due in November this year.
“We are sure to finish the caseload of all IDPs from Fata until November,” an official told Dawn.
The displacement of civilians from Fata began in 2007 when the security forces launched a full-fledged operation against militants in Bajaur Agency and other parts of Fata.
The IDPs from Orakzai, Mehsud tribe-dominated area of South Waziristan, and Kurram have become homeless since 2008.
The major caseload of IDPs was from North Waziristan where over 110,000 families were forced to leave their homes after the army launched the Zarb-i-Azb operation in June 2014.
The areas where IDPs will return have been de-notified as conflict zones.
A team of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security has recently visited the de-notified areas in the central tehsil of Kurram Agency and North Waziristan Agency to assess the security situation.
The FDMA with the assistance of the UN agencies has repatriated a total of 151,833 families in South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Khyber, Orakzai and Kurram agencies in 2015.
Every family received Rs25,000 cash assistance, Rs10,000 transportation cost, and food rations for six months.
However, the government has yet to start the payment of compensation to the affected families for damages of houses. The federal government had announced payment of Rs400,000 for the fully damaged house and Rs160,000 for partially damaged house.
Officials in the FDMA are optimistic that the return of IDPs will be completed before November next.
They said the caseload of Khyber Agency would be completed with the return of 5,000 families by the end of June, while the return of IDPs to Orakzai and central tehsil of Kurram Agency would be finished before August.
The officials said the return of families to upper and lower tehsils of Kurram Agency, who became displaced in the aftermath of the 2007 sectarian clashes, would be decided at appropriate time.
They said these families had been temporarily settled in Peshawar, Kohat and upper tehsil of Kurram Agency.
A relevant official said after the completion of the third phase, the last phase of the IDPs’ repatriation, was likely to begin after August.
He said 26,000 families of South Waziristan and 44,000 families of North Waziristan would be repatriated before November.
Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016


http://www.dawn.com/news/1250482/next-phase-of-idps-repatriation-to-start-on-11th
[h=1]Open tender policy for printers draws flak

[/h] PESHAWAR: The representatives of political parties, business community, civil society organisations and printer association at a seminar on Wednesday rejected the provincial government’s open tender policy for printers claiming it has led to the closure of at least 80 percent of printing units in the province.
The event was organised by the Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehreek at the Peshawar Press Club, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party leader Zahir Shah Safi, ANP provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak, KPCCI former president Fawad Ishaq, Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehreek president Dr Said Alam Mehsud and Frontier Printers and Publishers Association president Iqtidar Ali Akhunzada were noted among speakers.
The speakers urged the provincial government to immediately restore the old tender system to prevent the closure of more local printing industry and thus, benefiting the poor people associated with them.
They said instead of floating open tenders for awarding contracts for printing purposes, the local printers should be given contracts on priority basis as they deserved support on part of the government.
The speakers said the new printing policy, which had been made to ensure transparency in the business, had adversely affected local business and caused massive joblessness.
They insisted the open tender policy was detrimental to the interests of printers in KP while those in Punjab were its beneficiary.
The speakers said at least 10,000 workers had lost jobs due to the new tender policy. Iqtidar Ali Akhunzada said the KP government’s decision to award printing contracts through open tenders had distressed local printers and publishers because of their inability to compete with the printers of Punjab.

He said 80 percent of the textbook printing business in the province had shifted to Punjab forcing local printing units to stop work and lay off staff.
KPCCI president Zulfiqar Ali Khan said businesses in KP were badly affected in the past by militancy and currently by the growing incidence of extortion and target killings.
He said the successive governments had miserably failed to address the problems facing businessmen in the province.
The KPCCI president said the centre had completely ignored the Pakhtun region.
He opposed the open tender policy for printers and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
Representative of local printers and publishers Shakeel Qureshi said Punjab’s well-established printers used to print a major chunk of KP textbooks in 1982-83 when the then governor, Fazle Haq, had ordered the handing over of 100 percent printing to local printers.
He said the decision was taken for the protection and growth of local printers.
Mr. Qureshi said the new KP policy went against the verdict of the Peshawar High Court so the printers would soon move the court for relief.
Mr. Iqtidar Akhunzada said in 2001, the Peshawar High Court, in a petition filed by the printers of Punjab, gave the verdict in the favour of KP printers.
The other speakers said on one hand, the provincial government claimed to have restarted sick industrial units across the province but on the other, it had begun anti-printing press policy rendering hundreds of laborers jobless.
They demanded that the government give incentives to the people associated with printing businesses to help them earn a dignified livelihood.
Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016


http://www.dawn.com/news/1250480/open-tender-policy-for-printers-draws-flak

[h=1]Inquiry ordered into irregularity in hospital reconstruction

[/h]MANSEHRA: Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority chairman Asghar Nawaz has ordered an inquiry against the contractor over the alleged use of substandard material in the reconstruction of the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra.
“We are going to launch an inquiry against the use of substandard material in the reconstruction of the KATH and delay in the completion of its work. If irregularities are found, the contractor will be taken to justice,” he told reporters here on Wednesday.
Mr. Nawaz, who was accompanied by Erra deputy chairman Abu Bakar and KATH medical superintendent Dr Mohammad Javed, visited the hospital’s blocks, which are under construction.
He pointed out the slow pace of work on the project and asked the contractor about the four years delay.
“We want better services for the patients taken to the hospital but the delay in its reconstruction is a big hurdle in the way. We’ll take necessary action in this regard,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Javed told the Erra chairman and others that the Saudi government, which had pledged the reconstruction of the KATH after its destruction in the 2005 earthquake, released Rs500 million.
“There is no shortage of funds as the Saudi government had provided the sufficient money for the project so the contractor is responsible for the delay of reconstruction,” he said.
Dr Javed said the reconstruction process was scheduled to complete in 2012 but that hadn’t happened yet.
He said the bedding capacity of the hospital functioning in a nursing hostel had squeezed to 180 and that it would go up to around 350 once the hospital’s reconstruction completed.
The MS said the situation had forced the hospital’s staff members to rent rooms and houses outside the premises.
He said in light of the unjustified prolonged delay in work, the administration in consultation with the Erra had allotted the contract to build boundary wall, sewerage lines and roads to another company.
[h=1]

[/h]
http://www.dawn.com/news/1250468/inquiry-ordered-into-irregularity-in-hospital-reconstruction

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

APR 12 2016