K-P releases Rs246.5m for tourism promotion

Funds will be used for youth development, preservation of culture and heritage sites

PESHAWAR: The provincial government on Wednesday said that it has released a sum of Rs246.5 million for the promotion of tourism in the province, construction of sports facilities and uplifting various historical sites in the provincial headquarters.

This has been disclosed in budget documents from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Ministry of Archeology, Tourism and Sports.

The documents show that of the Rs9.64 billion allocated to the ministry in the budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, the ministry has thus far released RS246.5 million — or less than 10 per cent.

The release is part of the first phase of releasing funds. The money will be used for ongoing projects and some newly-initiated programmes for youth development.

The budget documents show that ministry has released Rs2.5 million for the uplift of the Abbottabad museum, another Rs2.3 million for heritage preservation programmes, Rs6.8 million for the upgrading of some 91 heritage sites, and Rs1.7 million for museums in Swat and Chitral.

For the renovation of the historic Masjid Mahabat Khan, located in the heart of the provincial capital of Peshawar, a sum of Rs5 million has been released.

For the preservation of the historic and under-threat Kalash valley in upper Chitral and to preserve the unique, indigenous culture and traditions, a sum of Rs1.7 million has been allocated.

A further million rupees have been issued for the training and skill enhancement programmes of the youth in the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (Fata).

For placing an Asotraph in the Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Kohat, Charsadda districts of the province, the tourism ministry has released Rs20 million.

To build special tracks for running in DI Khan, Kohat and Bannu, the provincial government has decided to release a sum of Rs6.2 million. The sports and tourism ministry has decided to release a further Rs10 million for the promotion of a thousand games locally.

The government has also released Rs50 million as part of a youth package for the development of youth living in the settled districts of the province.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senior Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Tourism Minister Atif Khan was told during a high-level meeting in the Archeology Department that the World Bank will be providing Rs500 million for the development of eight new archaeological sites in the province. Work on five of these new sites is expected to start soon.

Atif had further directed officers to expedite work on 12 existing archaeological sites apart from ensuring their preservation. He added that the provincial government has allocated Rs500 million for these sites.

During the meeting, it had been decided that all artefacts of the province currently stationed or on display in other parts of the country will be brought back to the province. These artefacts number 3,000.

A special committee will coordinate with other provinces for this purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2019.