By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur, has said that the people of Dera Ismail Khan should treat the ongoing development projects as their own and extend full cooperation to the government, stressing that while development work may cause temporary inconvenience, it will bring long-term benefits for the city and its residents.
He was speaking at a ceremony organized by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Dera and the Social Welfare Department, where more than 300 Transport Special Cards for persons with disabilities, 59 tricycles and 50 hearing aids were distributed among special persons. The event was held at the RTA Dera office, with Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur as the chief guest.
Addressing the gathering, he said that persons with disabilities were very dear to society and that caring for them was a collective responsibility. “If we take care of them, Allah will also reward us. Our leader, Imran Khan, also believes in the welfare of special persons. This is the true concept of a welfare state,” he said. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was making all-out efforts to provide maximum facilities to persons with disabilities.
He appreciated the initiative taken by the RTA Dera to introduce the Transport Special Card for persons with disabilities, which offers a 50 per cent concession on transport fares. He said that mega development projects were progressing rapidly in Dera Ismail Khan and appealed through the media for citizens to consider Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan as their own home and to support the development process.
The ceremony was attended by Commissioner Dera Dawood Khan, Deputy Commissioner Dera Abdul Nasir Khan, Assistant Commissioner Dera Syed Muhammad Arsalan, Secretary RTA Shaukat Iqbal, President Sahara Centre Aamir Suhail Sadozai, Social Welfare Officer Mumtaz Khan, Chairman Board of Governors WASA Nematullah Khan, Assistant Director Zmoung Kor Dera Campus Rafiullah Khan, Focal Person Nawaz Khan, and a large number of persons with disabilities.
On his arrival, Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur was warmly received by Commissioner Dawood Khan and Deputy Commissioner Abdul Nasir Khan. During the ceremony, the chief guest distributed more than 300 Transport Special Cards, 59 tricycles and 50 hearing aids among special persons. The Transport Special Cards were specially prepared by the secretary RTA, while, on Gandapur’s instructions, the Social Welfare Department also provided two tricycles at each transport terminal.
Special ramps have also been constructed to facilitate persons with disabilities in boarding buses. With these cards, disabled passengers will now be able to travel with a 50 per cent concession on fares. Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur further said that “we cannot become a great nation until we change our way of thinking”.
He noted that Dera Ismail Khan was fast emerging as a major city and that encroachments would be removed to facilitate mega projects, as such encroachments create difficulties for the public.
Gandapur said that work on flyovers was currently under way and that an additional fund of Rs360m had been provided to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) for this purpose. He added that Commissioner Dera Dawood Khan and Deputy Commissioner Abdul Nasir Khan were closely monitoring the development projects and remained in constant coordination with all relevant departments. “Together, we will continue to serve our region, province and country,” he said.
