CM aide says several schemes approved for Chitral

PESHAWAR: Adviser to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tourism and Culture Zahid Chanzeb on Saturday said that several new schemes had been approved for the development of tourism in Chitral and sufficient funds allocated for the purpose in the new budget.

“In addition to celebrating the traditional Kalash and Shandur Polo festivals in a more organized manner, he said, new projects have been added so that tourists can enjoy visiting Chitral throughout the year,” he told a delegation from Chitral.

The new schemes included the government-level organization of Jashan-e-Terichmir and a scheme to provide easy loans to residents of Chitral to construct additional rooms with all amenities adjacent to their homes to accommodate foreign tourists as paying guests. He said the experience of visiting foreign tourists in rented rooms of houses has proved to be quite successful in Gilgit-Baltistan, which not only resulted in increasing the number of tourists, but also the income of the local people enhanced considerably.

Zahid Chanzeb said that a new scheme called ‘Families Based Accommodation” for the foreign tourists was also part of the 18 new schemes for which Rs437.008 million have been allocated in the new budget.

The members of the delegation included MPA Fateh Mulk Ali Nasir and senior vice-president of PTI Malakand Division, Raziat Ballah. The adviser assured that the provincial government would leave no stone unturned to further promote tourism in Chitral. He also assured the delegation that all out steps would be taken to promote tourism in Chitral so that the menace of unemployment can be completely eradicated from there.