KARACHI, April 9: The Sindh Health Secretary, Naushad Ahmed Shaikh, along with the EDOs of Health and Education, and other concerned officials, visited the second resettlement site of the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project in Taiser Town and reviewed facilities for health and education.
They visited the site on the directive of the Chief Secretary, Fazlur Rehman, to provide better health and education facilities in the resettlement sites to those affected by the Lyari Expressway.
On the occasion, Project Director Shafiqur Rehman Paracha informed that special attention was being paid to provision of health and education in the newly developed resettlement sites.
He informed that besides a government dispensary, one dispensary each under the auspices of the Alamgir Welfare Trust and Gospel Help Trust were functioning, which, however, were insufficient to meet the requirement of growing number of people.
He suggested the upgradation of government dispensary into a clinic so that better health and medical facilities could be made available to people.
After examining problems related to health and education facilities, it was decided that the site office in Taiser Town would be handed over to the health department, which will make arrangements for establishing a clinic by upgrading the government dispensary.
The department will appoint doctors and paramedical staff in the clinic after which residents can benefit from the facilities around the clock.
It was also decided that the health department will setup a 100-bed hospital on the plot earmarked for the purpose.
Educational facilities at the resettlement sites were also reviewed by the visiting secretary and officials.
They were told that at present, education was being imparted in two shifts in seven primary schools and one high school at Hawkesbay site with 3,500 children enrolled there while 4,500 children were studying in two shifts in 11 primary schools in Taiser Town.
These children were provided uniforms, books, shoes, etc free of cost by the resettlement project.
To ensure quality education and to meet the shortage of government teachers, local educated girls have been appointed as teachers.
The meeting was told that there would be requirement for more schools to meet the target of providing education to children of every family living in the resettlement sites.
It may be mentioned that the chief secretary had, a few days back, directed the provincial secretaries of Health and Education and other concerned officials to visit the resettlement sites of the Lyari Expressway shiftees to review problems relating to health and education, and take steps for their solution without any delay.—APP
