BRT to solve all traffic problems of Peshawar: CM

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will resolve all traffic problems in the city. He was chairing progress review meeting of BRT at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, said an official handout.

Provincial Minister for Excise & Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, chief minister’s advisor on Transport Malik Shah Muhammad Wazir, MPA Mehmood Jan, Additional Chief Secretary Shehzad Bangash, Commissioner of Peshawar, Fakher Alam, secretaries Planning & Development, Transport and other officials attended the meeting.

The chief minister was briefed about the pace of progress on the BRT. It was revealed that all the construction work of the BRT would be completed by the end of March and in the next two weeks, would be made to make the project ready for inauguration by April 15.

The meeting was further informed about the size of the buses to be acquired for the project and the affordable fares. There would be separate arrangement for women. Pervez Khattak directed officials to focus on the greater Peshawar circular railway track that will connect five districts of the province. He also directed for the accelerated work on the revival of old Peshawar city, its cultural heritage and trail.

The chief minister said he would soon inaugurate Peshawar Zoo, which is the third largest zoo after Karachi and Lahore, an official statement said. The provincial government is spending Rs2 billion on the widening and completion of different roads in Peshawar, he said.  

Meanwhile, the chief minister has assured that teachers having higher educational abilities and showing efficiency would get mobility from primary to middle and higher secondary schools. Addressing a meeting on the performance and reforms of the elementary and secondary schools, he directed the officials to prepare rules for the time scales and promotion on these lines for onward presentation to the provincial cabinet.

The chief minister appreciated the working of independent monitoring units to discourage the absenteeism. His government established new schools and focused on reducing dropout from the government schools, he added.