CM Mahmood Khan performs groundbreaking of Makh Banda Dam in Karak

KARAK: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan here on Tuesday performed the groundbreaking of Makh Banda Dam project that would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs814 million in three years.

On completion, the dam will help bring 725 acres of land under cultivation.

The chief minister also performed the groundbreaking of the rehabilitation of 38-kilometer long road from Banda Daud Shah to Gurguri that would be completed in two years at an estimated cost of Rs587 million.

Addressing public gatherings at Makh Banda and Banda Daud Shah, the chief minister announced a package of Rs2 billion for the gasification of Karak.

He said that the oil and gas royalty funds were the right of the people of Karak and other oil-producing districts, adding the government launched Karak Area Development Project to ensure that the royalty funds were spent on the development of Karak.

“Under the project various development schemes worth billions of rupees in education, health, public health engineering, communication and other social sectors have been initiated for the sustainable development of the district,” he said.

The chief minister said that more than Rs9 billion would be spent on the various developmental projects in Karak during the next four years, adding that each and every penny of oil and gas royalty funds would be spent for the wellbeing of the public of oil and gas producing districts.

Mahmood Khan said the government was investing on human development whereas previous rulers did nothing for people except looting the public exchequer.

The chief minister remarked that the government was working under a comprehensive developmental strategy to put these districts on the path of sustainable development.

Terming the unavailability of clean drinking water as a major problem of Karak, the Mahmood Khan stated that his government was working to resolve this long-standing issue on a permanent basis.

He added that a project had been planned to provide clean drinking water from Lawaghar Dam to Karak city. He said that work on the dualization of Bannu Road had been started which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs4 billion out of which Rs2 billion had already been released.