Governor Mahtab likely to visit Bara soon

BARA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan is expected to visit Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency in the near future.It was learnt that he would inaugurate the power looms and silk factories which had been closed down after the Operation Khyber-1 was launched last year against the militants in Bara tehsil.
The owners of the power loom factories welcomed the news of the expected visit by the governor to the area for the inauguration of the closed factories.The factories were established in three areas, including Karigar Garhi, Zulfiqar Garhi and Malik Garhi near Bara tehsil. “About 3,000 poor labourers were earning livelihood from the 39 power loom factories,” a factory owner, Niaz Ali Afridi, told The News.
He said the buildings of the factories were partially damaged while equipment of the power looms were rusted and disordered. “When the operation was launched against the banned militant organisations Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Bara area, the owners of the factories shifted to safer places,” he said, adding that all the machineries out of order and threads lying useless now.
Another affected owner of the factory, Wali Khan Afridi said, “I am feeling happy to hear about the expected visit of the governor to Bara to out the power looms and silk factories functional again.”
He said the governor had visited the Khyber Agency a number of times to launch development projects and bring peace, harmony and prosperity in the area. During his last year visit to the Tirah valley, the governor announced a mega project worth Rs3.5 billion for the Tirah Maidan valley.
During his second visit to Khyber Agency on March 17, 2015, the governor had said the government was committed to developing infrastructure in tribal areas as it would play a vital role in the development of the area. He had inaugurated work on the 28-kilometre long bypass road from Takhtabaig to Matani area on the outskirts of Peshawar.
The governor had announced a huge amount for the construction of the road on a priority basis and directed the construction company to complete the Torkham-Jamrud road in the current year.
He also inaugurated a de-radicalisation centre in Bara subdivision for the militants, who had surrendered. They would get education and technical skill at the centre. The federal government allocated Rs400 million for Sabawon De-Radicalization Centre while the responsibility for running the centre was assigned to the Frontier Corps.