KOHAT, March 20: District Nazim Engineer Malik Asad has said that FM radio station is being set up here which will start regular transmission by the end of next month.

He said the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation had acquired temporary building in the KDA township and necessary equipment had already arrived.

He hoped that the people of southern districts would benefit a lot from the FM radio service and particularly poets and writers would get an opportunity to express themselves.

He said that programmes would be broadcast in Pushto and Hindko languages, whereas the range of FM transmission would be 70 kilometres.

Briefing reporters on Saturday about the progress of development work carried out during the last 30 months, the Nazim said that the total income of the district from various resources was Rs600 million annually whereas more than Rs570 million were being consumed in salaries and other perks of the employees.

The briefing was organized by the NRB under its media visit programme to highlight the achievements of the local government system in the country.

He said the restriction put by the provincial government that 70 per cent of the district budget should be spent on the completion of old schemes had affected the new projects taken up by the district government, but despite such obligations the district government was trying to solve the problems of the people and provide all basic amenities.

The district government through team work was trying to increase the income through local resources and many commercial plazas were being constructed.

Similarly the government has retrieved its commercial buildings which were rented out during the last 56 years.

He regretted that some of the shopkeepers were to the day paying Rs100 and Rs200 per month whereas the average market value of each shop was between Rs700,000 and Rs 1.5 million.

Similarly the dispute over the ownership of the old jail ground had been resolved and under the new agreement 7 kanals had been allotted to town council and 12 kanals to the district government.

He said through this land the district government would get a handsome amount every month which would be utilized for the welfare of the people.

He said that a new grid station had been planned in the KDA township.

The Nazim said that the work on the design of a new Khushhalgarh bridge which was being constructed on The Indus was in its final phase.

Similarly due to unusual delay in the completion of the Rawalpindi road the work of its carpeting had been awarded to Karkun company and it was expected that the project would be completed soon. He said that if the FHA had given the contract of the road to the district government the project would have been completed six months before.

The district government had completed more than 12 drinking water supply schemes in the city and far flung areas like Taulanj and Jangle Khel during the last three years, he said.

EDUCATION: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said the demand for quality and higher education cannot be met by the public sector alone, therefore, the government is encouraging the private sector at all levels to create a network of educational institutions in the whole province.

Addressing the foundation-laying ceremony of the new campus of the Preston University in the KDA Township on Thursday, the governor praised the efforts of the management of the university for fulfilling an important commitment of grant of charter to construct a permanent campus in Kohat.

He called upon the management to take care of the needs of the talented but poor students and provide them adequate number of scholarships.

He said it was the moral, social and national responsibility to provide a chance to the poor students so that they could become productive and useful citizens of the country and pursue higher education.

The governor also laid the foundation of a Safari park in Kohat near the Kohat-Japan Friendship Tunnel.