Govt working on Rs40mn scheme for security upgrades, SHC told

A separate Rs40 million scheme for repairing and raising boundary walls of colleges facing security threats is expected to be approved in the next District Development Working Party meeting, the provincial law officer told the Sindh High Court on Friday.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) seeking directives to provincial authorities to boost security of educational institutes. 

Piler had filed the petition in January 2015, in the wake of the horrific terror attack on APS, Peshawar, and urged the SHC to order the Sindh government to enforce upgraded security measures at all educational institutes of the province. 

Filing a progress report with regards to security of public and private schools in the province, Additional Advocate General Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar submitted that there are 81 schools across the province which were ‘most sensitive’ in respect of security. 

He submitted that boundary walls of different primary and secondary schools have been approved by the DDWP in a meeting held on September 23.

He submitted that a separate scheme for construction, repairing and raising of compound walls of ‘security threatened’ colleges in Sindh, worth an estimated Rs40 million, which was expected to be approved in the next DDWP forum meeting.

The report stated that information regarding construction of boundary walls of about 1,877 educational institutions, within the estimated cost, have been received from field offices of the education and literacy department duly recommended by the concerned deputy commissioners. It was submitted that there was no such provision in the current ADP 2016-2017, so a summary is being moved for the CM to arrange the funds from outside ADP.

Taking the report on its record, the court directed the law officer to submit a progress report in this regard in the future.