CM performs groundbreaking of three projects in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has formally performed the groundbreaking of three mega development projects in Peshawar under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP), which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs4 billion cumulatively.

A handout said that the projects included improvement and rehabilitation of water supply system, the extension and improvement of Bagh-e-Naran Park and the establishment of Besai Park at Hayatabad.

The inaugural ceremony of the projects was held at Bagh-e-Naran Peshawar where the chief minister was the chief guest.

Provincial ministers Faisal Amin Gandapur, Taimur Saleem Jhagra Ishtiaq Urmar, members of the provincial assembly, commissioner Peshawar and high-ups of relevant provincial departments attended the ceremony.

The chief minister laid the foundation stone of a mega project for the improvement and rehabilitation of the water supply system in Peshawar which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs2.8 billion.

Under the project, multiple construction and rehabilitation activities would be carried out including rehabilitation of existing overhead water reservoirs, construction of new water reservoirs, replacement of 155-kilometer long water distribution network and installation of new household connections and water meters.

Reconstruction and rehabilitation of tube wells linked to the overhead water reservoirs and solarization of the existing tube wells are also a part of this project.

The extension of Bagh-e-Naran would be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs535 million under which multiple facilities including jogging and cycling tracks, a skating zone for the children, an open-air gym, recreational facilities, a family area and a playground would be established.

Besides urban foresting, rose gardens and the provision of other allied facilities are also included in the project.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony, the chief minister said that the cities improvement project would prove to be a game-changer in streamlining the municipal services and allied facilities in the major cities of the province.

He added that after untiring efforts for four years, the project was launched.

He made it clear that the provincial government had framed its development strategy keeping in view the available resources and requirements of the general public in the different regions of the province.

All the commitments made by the PTI government were being fulfilled one by one, he said.

He added the government believed in the investment in human capital and improving the quality of life for its citizens.

Mahmood Khan stated the government had established a model of sustainable development in the province with a special focus on Peshawar.

He said that the government was working to make this province a hub of trade and transit in the region for which work on various motorways had been initiated.

The chief minister said that construction work had been started on Swat Motorway Phase-2 after the successful completion of Phase-1.

He said that the Dir motorway followed by linking of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan through road networks would prove to be a major game-changer in promoting tourism and making the province a centre for regional trade and commerce.