Peshawar: As many as seven Shelter Homes are fully functional in the province to provide free night stay and meal facilities to the needy and vulnerable segments of the society with the mutual collaboration of Pakistan Baitul Mall and the provincial government having a total capacity of night stay for 800 people.

These Shelter Homes include one each in Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, DI Khan, Kohat, Swat and Bannu, whereas another Panahgah will soon be operationalized in the provincial capital Peshawar.

This was told in a meeting regarding Panahgahs held here the other day with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan in the chair. Chief Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Secretary Social Welfare Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Director Social Welfare Habib Afridi and other concerned quarter attended the meeting.

The meeting was further informed that in addition to the above mentioned Panahgahs, ten more panahgahs were operational from provincial government’s own resources which include one each in Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Abbottabad, Bannu, Swabi, Marsehra, Swat, Kohat and Karak with a total night stay capacity for 450 individuals.

The meeting discussed in detail various matters related to improve the overall management and facilities of these panahgahs, further expand the ambit of Panahgahs and a number of decisions were taken to this end.

On this occasion, the chair directed the concerned authorities for necessary steps to make all these panahgahs functional in all respects with all the required facilities well before the winter season.

He also directed the social welfare department to complete homework to extend the “Meal on Wheal” services already launched in the provincial capital to other districts as well and to come up with workable proposals in this regard.