LAKKI MARWAT: The district development advisory committee approved uplift schemes worth Rs20.5 million on Wednesday.

The schemes were approved in a meeting of the committee held here with its chairman MPA Munawar Khan Marwat in the chair. The meeting was also attended by MPA Haji Anwar Hayat Khan, Deputy Commissioner Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Assistant Commissioner Qayyum Nawaz and heads of different departments.

The meeting was informed that Rs10 million would be spent on developmental works in PF-76 (Lakki-III). The municipal committees of Lakki and Naurang received over Rs10 million and Rs3.8 million respectively. The amount will be spent on development of urban localities.

The meeting also discussed progress of work on the ongoing schemes, details of available funds and projects included in the provincial Annual Developmental Programme.

The participants of the meeting took serious notice of delay in repairing the out of order X-ray machine at the city hospital, use of substandard material in construction work and non-functional slaughter house in Lakki City.

A participant said that a protection wall built by the soil conservation department two months ago was washed away by flood as substandard material was used in it.

However, district soil conservation officer Nazir Khan claimed that 50 per cent construction work on protection wall was completed after it was damaged by flood.

MPA Anwar Hayat also showed reservations at the recent recruitments in Naurang municipal committee and health department.

He said that the hospitals and health units were faced with shortage of life saving medicines and patients were forced to buy medicines from the market.

Dr Nek Nawaz Khan, the district health officer, assured the meeting that the faulty X-ray machine would be repaired within 36 hours.

He said that record of recruitments would be presented to the deputy commissioner.

The official said that health facilities would soon receive consignments of medicines as procurement process was in the final stage.

He also denied violation of rules in allotment of residential quarters and bungalows to the doctors and paramedics in Naurang hospital.

The chairman of the committee expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of communication and works and public health engineering departments. He directed the authorities concerned to improve state of affairs in their respective organisations.

He directed the district council to park the fire truck at the district headquarters complex so that it could be used effectively in case of emergency.

Mr Munawar also criticised Lakki municipal committee and said that the entire urban locality had turned into a filth depot.

He directed the officials to repair the tube wells for smooth supply of drinking water to the inhabitants of urban locality and improve cleanliness condition.