PESHAWAR: Population Welfare
Center has shut down its another office in Peshawar after 19 years of providing
treatment and consultation to women, citing lack of funds.
It is the fourth office of Population Welfare Center in provincial capital
shutting down by the authorities in rents days.
The department don’t have the fund to pay salaries to its staffs and rent
buildings, said officials. The owner of the building locked down the Population
Welfare Center in Latif Abad area. According to officials, more than 40 women,
mostly pregnant, were coming to center per day for consultation.
When contacted, the building owner Waqar Rehman said that the officer didn’t
paid rent of the building for last one year. “The officials pay only Rs five
thousand per month. I didn’t increase the amount as I wanted the center to work
for the betterment of the women in the area. But they didn’t pay the rent for 12
months,” he said.
Five-member team of the center were also absent while the watchman of the center
daily visits the center and on duty from 8 am to 2 pm.
Earlier, the officials of the population department were paying the rent after
every six months with the cut of Rs 300 tax per month, but even than I didn’t
kick out them because he wanted to allow the office to work for society. But now
it’s inacceptable that department didn’t pay him the rent for the year of the
2017, he said while ing why he shut down the building.
A local medicine shopkeeper said that during terror attack the department didn’t
close the center; even they have threat of closer. The female visits even that
time for consultation in this center but now it’s close down, that suffer the
women of the area.
The population control department working as federal department since 1965 in
different parts of the country but later in 1983 the center transfer to the
provincial heath department of KP. Since 2010 after the 18 amendment the
department and employees comes under the provincial government and more than
three thousand employees are now working under health department.
Health department permitted Population center to work in Basic health unit, BHU
in Peshawar district.
An High officer of the population department Peshawar, who didn’t want to show
his name confirmed that more than 65 centers in working condition in provincial
capital Peshawar, while 45 centers in rented building. He said that that more
than three center of Bakhsshi Full, Latif Abad and Hazar Khawani were closed
down because we have no funds for these rented building.
The officer admitted that in Peshawar 92 union council and we have only 65
center, half of them in rented building, so just imagine how much provincial
government serious to control the population. According to him more than 3000
thousand are working in population department, but we have old vehicle, no
official monitoring team, because we have no vehicle to check the activities of
the population centers.
The district population department one of the department which controls through
local government, after the local government the department faces problems in
funds. The strange act of the provincial government is that an Annual
development program there is no funds allocated for population department.
District population officer of Peshawar Mr Haleem said that we are facing
problem of the funds, that’s why our three centers were shut down, he admitted
that the funds of last year 2017 now he received from district government.
Mr. Haleem District Population officer of Peshawar confirmed that health
department of KP department also ordered him to kick out their staff from seven
centers which is now working in BHU. According to him the Khazana, Masho Gagr,
Lala Kaly, Chamkani, Jagra and Dabgari center will closed down in coming ten
days. Because district health officer warned me that population official takes
room in BHU, which they need now, so I will close down these center also.
Mr. Haleem said that in last three-month Din Bahar, Mathra and Patwar area we
also shut down centers which were working in BHU, these areas are located in
Peshawar city.
DPO further added that two years before I submitted proposal about the new
centers establishing in capital city Peshawar, but still it’s pending.
District Nazim of Peshawar Mr Arbab Asim didn’t know about the closer of the
centers, asking about the centers he said that we also face problems in funds
from federal government that’s why some center closed, but I release the funds
of last year to department now and their issue will be resolved soon. According
to the Arabab Asim we also face problem of funds, it’s not necessary that every
department have separate building.
According to the census department of KP, in 1998 total population of the
Peshawar was 2026851 while the current status of the population which was taken
in 2017 is 4269079 person including male and female. That’s show how rapidly the
population increase in capital city of Peshawar.