World Bank delegation visits uplift projects in Bara

PESHAWAR: A senior delegation of the World Bank Pakistan led by Country Director Najy Benhassine visited different sites in Bara tehsil of Khyber tribal district, which have been financed under the Pakistan Community Support Project (PCSP).

The country director was accompanied by the World Bank Operations Team, Project Director PCSP and the district administration of Khyber during the visit.

While interacting with the local communities, the country director said that the most encouraging aspect of the newly built infrastructure such as drinking water facilities and farm to market roads was to see communities benefiting from them collectively.

One of the project sites visited by the World Bank delegation was the solar-powered water supply scheme, which has been completed at a cost of Rs7.25 million by the communities in line with the priority development needs.

This sub-project is benefitting 185 households in Yousaf Talab village in Bara with full community participation, including voluntary land donation and 10 percent share of the community.

The country director said that the World Bank would continue its support for community-driven development initiatives throughout the province as these projects articulated the development needs and priorities of the communities.

The World Bank delegation also went to Morcho Khwar village in tehsil Bara to visit the farm to market road, which was completed at a cost of Rs6,83 million.

The community shared that earlier it was a mud-track, which caused mobility issues for the local students, including girls, who had to cover more than one kilometre distance to reach the nearest schools and a college.

They said that the road was providing convenience to more than 60 households as it improved accessibility, increased enrollment, and enhanced transportation.

The differently-abled persons have also been facilitated by the sub-project.