KP PDWP approves 46 uplift projects worth over Rs54bn

PESHAWAR: The 13th meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Monday approved 46 development projects for various sactors.

The approval was granted at a meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary of the Planning and Development Department, Ikramullah Khan. Following special directives from Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, the forum approved a key project aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity in the merged districts, said a handout.

The meeting was attended by PDWP members and officials from relevant departments. The forum granted approval for 46 crucial projects across various sectors, including agriculture, tourism, health, education, environment, forestry, science and technology, and information technology.

Among the approved projects were soil fertility mapping in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the establishment of a seed industry, promotion of climate-smart and mechanized farming, tele-farming and digital service platforms, and enhancement of agricultural productivity for food security and livelihoods.

In the education sector, the projects included the provision of additional infrastructure and renovations in existing colleges, functionalisation of newly-constructed and established colleges with transport facilities, construction of BS blocks, additional classrooms, and security facilities in government colleges.

Other projects included upgrading secondary schools such as Government Middle School Sangarai in Shangla, recruitment of teachers for primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools in merged districts, and feasibility studies for the establishment of a Girls’ Cadet College in Dera Ismail Khan.

For the health sector, PDWP approved secondary healthcare facility revamping, strengthening of District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals, improving accident and emergency units in newly merged districts, and enhancing the province’s capacity to combat future pandemics. It also sanctioned the establishment of a DHQ hospital in Ghaziabad, Kolai Palas district.

Key infrastructure projects included the upgradation of roads and bridges in Charsadda, rehabilitation of the Palai Dam Canal System and Tangi Irrigation Scheme, and the construction of distribution systems for the left and right bank canals of Mohmand Dam. Feasibility studies were approved for irrigation schemes in D.I. Khan’s CRBC area, including Khisur, Pezu, and surrounding regions.

The forum also approved projects related to mining sector monitoring, geological mapping, and the establishment of Community Facilitation Centers (CFCs). Judicial infrastructure projects included the establishment of Tehsil Judicial Complexes in Balakot, Patan, and Sarai Naurang.

Furthermore, human rights initiatives such as the strengthening of the Provincial Directorate of Human Rights and district resource centers for public prosecutors, government attorneys, and probation officers were approved. Environmental projects included the relocation of the Forest Complex to accommodate an EPA lab and the establishment of regional environmental labs in Abbottabad, Mingora, and D.I. Khan.

Other notable approvals included initiatives for farm forestry, the introduction of quinoa as a new cash crop, land compensation for road reconstruction in Malakand, and the construction of multiple roads across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including those in Bannu, Dir, and Torghar.