Merged districts to have economic zones: KP CM

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Saturday hinted at the establishment of economic zones in the new districts of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata).

“I am working on the opening of road communication linking Afghanistan with Central Asia to make this region the economic hub in the wake of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” he told a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister’s House here. Advisor to CM Abdul Karim, Strategic Support Unit head Sahibzada Saeed, Secretary Industries and Commissioner Peshawar Shahab Ali Shah attended the meeting, said a handout.

The meeting focused on mega projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The schemes included the finalisation of concessional agreement and the infrastructure development for the Rashakai Industrial Zone, the energising of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) for electricity production and agriculture productivity, hydel project generation in Malakand and Hazara divisions.The meeting also discussed the provision of cheap electricity to boost industrialisation in Malakand and Hazara, conversion of gas for electricity in Rashakai, and Dera Ismail Khan Economic Zones. It also called for efforts to boost the trout fish production and to establish a model village in the merged districts.

The meeting made a number of decisions and decided the way forward for putting these projects into the implementation phase.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister directed to immediately give final touches to the concessional agreement leading to the finalisation of financial model for the Rashakai economic zone. The prerequisites for the Rashakai Economic Zone should be taken care of in order to get the approval of the Federal Government by January 15, 2019, he added.

He said that the energizing of CRBC and the projects converting the dedicated gas of 225 MMCF for electricity conversion in the economic zones of Rashakai, and Dera Ismail should be taken care.Mahmood Khan ordered to sketch out a plan for the provision of electricity produced locally in Malakand division for food processing and agro-based industrialisation. He said that the CPEC had brought along multifaceted challenges. “We have the requisite level of commitment to fulfill these challenges. We would train our youth to coup with the growing challenges of producing skilled manpower,” he went on to add.

The chief minister said that the new merged districts of the erstwhile Fata would get one of the economic zones under the CPEC and the public institutions should take all necessary measures. He said that hydro project station of Mataltan and others producing cheap electricity would be provided to the food processing, agro-based, livestock and tourism related industries at cheaper rate that would be the overall socio economic development plan for the northern districts of the province.