EOI invited for building chairlift resort at Lake Saiful Maluk

PESHAWAR: At last the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BOIT) with the collaboration of Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for building an international standard chairlift resort at Naran-Saiful Maluk Lake.
The project had been in talks for years.The last date for submission of the EOI is March 15. The terms of references for the TORs include installation of chairlift from Naran up to Saiful Maluk Lake, situated at an altitude of about 3,224 metres above sea level.
The provincial government will provide approximately 94 kanal of land for recreational, entertainment, restaurants and allied facilities at the base and top station.The project will be on lease for a period of 30 years. It will be extendable for another 15 years with a maximum five percent annual increase.
The construction work on the project will be started within a period of six months. The project includes backup power generation facility, porting and kids playing facilities, mosque, and rest areas, rain shelters, restaurants, public washroom, tea/ coffee and tuck shops at base and top stations.
Naran attracts thousands of tourists every year.The valley is located on the bank of river Kunhar at an altitude of about 2,498 metres. It is surrounded by lush green mountains, waterfalls, glaciers and streams. Saiful Maluk Lake is the most attractive destination for tourists.
It is worth mentioning that the Awami National Party-led government had planned the chairlift project in 2009 and the then provincial minister for sports and tourism Syed Aqil Shah in an interview with The News had announced launching of the project within a couple of months.
Aqil Shah and his two other cabinet colleagues, Ahmad Hussain Shah and Shuja Khan, had visited the area and said the project would be probably completed by 2011.Riding the six-kilometre long chairlift, one would have a view of snow-capped mountains on the banks of river Kunhar, glaciers, waterfalls, streams and scenic flora.
The plan would also include generation of of two to three megawatts electricity at Saiful Maluk Lake.Aqil Shah along with then minister for industries Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah again during the concluding ceremony of the three-day Kaghan festival in June 2011 announced the establishment of the Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) and installation of a state-of-the-art chairlift from Naran to the Saiful Maluk Lake.
The ministers had announced on the occasion that the provincial government after establishing the KDA would execute the chairlift project costing more than Rs2 billion during the current fiscal year. Though the minister had claimed the tourists would start enjoying the chairlift ride in 2012 instead of travelling by jeeps. However, the project could not be launched till now.The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf -led provincial government, however, took the initiative of floating the tender.