Lowari Tunnel: Immediate release of funds demanded

Construction has been suspended since last year.

PESHAWAR:

Former MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali has demanded the immediate release of funds required for the completion of the Lowari Tunnel Project.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, he said that the tunnel’s construction work has been suspended since last year due to non-payment of funds to Sambo, which is carrying out the construction project.

The MPA from Chitral, Ghulam Muhammad, also spoke on the occasion, saying that the government had allocated Rs17 billion for the project, which was supposed to complete in 2013. However, the government has only released Rs600,000 so far. He added that the government had only allocated Rs100 million for the project in the current fiscal year, which was not sufficient for the project to be completed in the stipulated period.

He demanded that the government to immediately release Rs70 million to the company with an additional allocation of Rs4.5 billion later to ensure the tunnel’s completion. Muhammad also said that the project was of great importance for the prosperity and development in Chitral.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2011.