PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to set up 25 police stations in merged tribal districts of the province.

Information minister Shaukat Yousafzai told reporters after the meeting that the police department presented a proposal regarding the merger of the tribal districts into the existing police ranges of the province before the cabinet approved it during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

He said South Waziristan district would be part of the Dera Ismail Khan Range, North Waziristan district Bannu’s, Orakzai and Kurram districts Kohat’s, Khyber district Peshawar’s, Mohmand district Mardan’s and Bajaur district Malakand region.

The minister said the police department had also proposed the establishment a police station at subdivision level in merged districts, which the cabinet approved.

He said 25 police stations would be set up in merged districts.

Rs17bn road rehab project okayed, panel formed on regularisation issue

Mr Yousafzai said the cabinet also approved a Rs17.03 billion Asian Development Bank funded project for the rehabilitation of nine major roads across the province.

He said as Rs680 million was needed for the purpose of utilities relocation and land acquisition, the cabinet approved the release of Rs120 million, while the remaining amount would be provided in the next budget.

The minister said the cabinet also approved proposed legislation for the formation of the youth development commission comprising 12 members.

He said the cabinet also approved the KP Youth Welfare Endowment Act and that a Rs100 million fund had been set up for youth welfare.

Mr Yousafzai said an ordinance for the purpose was earlier promulgated due to the completion of the term of the elected provincial government ahead of elections.

He said legislation would be tabled in the provincial assembly for approval.

The minister said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed the relevant government departments to present summaries before the cabinet within 14 days for the purpose and that the relevant officials taking more than that time would be dealt with strictly.

He said the cabinet also formed a committee headed by senior minister Mohammad Atif Khan to review the KP Rules of Business, 1985, and present a report to the government.

The minister said the committee would have finance, law and information ministers as members.

The chief minister also directed the administration department to auction the scrapped vehicles.

The cabinet also approved the KP Universities Amendment Act, 2019.

He said the amendment in question was a legal requirement after the enactment of the 25th Amendment to include the universities of Buner and Chitral on the First Schedule of the KP Universities Act, 2012.

“Following the amendment, these universities’ campuses will be regularised,” he said.

The minister said the cabinet formed a ministerial committee to propose recommendations for the cabinet’s approval regarding loopholes in the regularisation of contractual employees of the provincial government.

He said under the Regularisation of Employees, 2018, the KP government had regularised the services of thousands of contractual workers of the provincial government.

The minister said the government had a formed a committee to look into legal issues and that it had placed its recommendations before the provincial cabinet.

However, the cabinet decided to form a committee consisting of law, finance and information ministers to review the recommendations and present a report within a week.

It also approved the KP Education Monitoring Authority Bill, 2019, to regularise the services of the monitoring unit, which was working as a project until now.

The cabinet also approved the Budget Strategy Paper I.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2019