Govt fails to complete two colleges in seven years

The Punjab government has failed to complete Degree Colleges in Dhoke Syedan Rawalpindi after 7 years.

The civil society has urged the Punjab government to start the classes in both degree colleges of Dhoke Syedan, Rawalpindi.

Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) Program Manager Syed Kausar Abbas while addressing the media said that despite conducting number of protests, meetings and writing letters to the government, government of Punjab failed to start classes in both degree colleges of Dhoke Syedan.

He said that the project of two Government Degree Colleges, Dhoke Syedan Chowk Rawalpindi was started in 2007 by former chief minister Pervez Elahi and former law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja but the current government is not being able to start the classes in both the colleges from last seven years.

Abbas said that Rs 42 million were spent on these buildings in the financial years 2007-8 and 2008-9 but later on the PML-N government in Punjab stopped funds for these colleges due to political reasons.

He said that these colleges are located at the boundary of two National Assembly Constituencies NA-52 and NA-54. The constituency belongs to the elected representatives Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Malik Abrar Ahmad. Both the elected representatives have been approached by the constituent’s number of times during the last six years but they always make fake commitments, he said.

Abbas said that after taking oath Member National Assembly Malik Abrar Ahmad committed in a public forum organised by CPDI that the colleges will be started by September 2013 but they have not started working on these colleges yet. He further told that these are the only colleges of NA-52 and NA-54 and the students do not have the opportunity to get access to higher education in their area. The students have to travel long distance to Rawalpindi city or Islamabad to get education.  Abbas said that if classes will not be started in August 2014 then a sit-in and grand protest will be organized to get the attention of Punjab government.