Govt all set to improve roads across KP: Khattak

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that the provincial government is all set to improve roads throughout the province.

He was talking to a seven-member mission of Asian Development Bank led by Ziaohong, director CWTC, at the Chief Minister’s House on Wednesday. He hoped that the Asian Development Bank would come up with its plan in terms of timely assistance to putting on ground projects in the sector that would be the baseline for the rapid economic development of the province.

Advisor to Chief Minister on C&W, secretary C&W Asif Khan, MD PKHA Engr Muhammad Uzair and others were also present. The participants were informed that the Asian Development Bank would help out the provincial government projects titled “Provincial Road Rehabilitation Project.”

The project would cost Rs15 billion and would rehabilitate and reconstruct different roads up to 500km of length in different districts throughout the province, says a handout.The Asian Development Bank would provide 85 percent of the total cost of the project as ADP support loan. The provincial government would put its share in the project as 15 percent of the total Rs15 billion being spent on the provincial road rehabilitation project under ADP.

The director of the bank assured that funding would be available with the commencement of work on the project. She also indicated her willingness for speeding up the process of loaning to the mutually agreed projects by the provincial government and the bank.

Meanwhile, the chief minister directed the housing department to move a summary for the commercialisation of already identified public properties possessed by different public sector entities for the final approval at the cabinet.

He directed officials to plan how to efficiently use the prime lands for public utility. “The provincial government wanted to develop the prime land of different departments on commercial lines to widen the resource base of the province so that the province could stand on its own feet and initiate public welfare oriented schemes,” he added.

He was presiding over a meeting for the commercialisation of public properties, high-rise buildings and widening the fiscal position of the province at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. Senior Minister Irrigation Sikandar Sherpao, Minister Finance Muzaffar said, Minister for Energy Muhammad Atif Khan, Advisor to CM for C&W Akbar Ayub, Parliamentary Secretary Dr Haider Ali, and administrative secretaries attended the meeting.