K-P CM breaks ground for 43km Bara-Mastak road

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking for the 43 kilometre-long Bara-Mastak Road in Khyber tribal district.

He also launched several other uplift schemes in the militancy-hit erstwhile federally administered tribal area (Fata).

The Bara-Mastak road is expected to be completed over two years at a cost of Rs1.6 billion. Once complete, it will help reduce travel time between Bara and Mastak from four hours currently to just two hours.

He also opened construction work on a building which will house the area headquarters of Rescue 1122 in Bara tehsil of Khyber tribal district. The building is expected to be completed at an estimated cost of Rs45 million in 18 months.

Similarly, he kicked off construction work on a Rescue 1122 building in Jamrud tehsil. This building will be built at an estimated cost of Rs14.172 million and will take two years to complete.

The chief minister also inaugurated a building in Bara which will house a Citizen Facilitation Centre. It will cost an estimated Rs19.7 million to build the centre.

Later, he visited the Bara press club where he administered the oath to the newly-elected cabinet of the club.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahmood said journalists play a great role in highlighting genuine issues of the public, adding that role and importance of media in the contemporary world cannot be ignored.

The chief minister further reiterated that the Khasadar and Levies forces in the tribal districts have been integrated into the provincial police force while entitling them to all the perks of the force.

He further said that the provincial government has devised a 10-year plan for the development of the newly merged tribal districts (NMTDs) keeping in view the priorities of locals.

Mahmood further said that the Rs12 billion received from the federal government have been spent on development projects in the NMTDs, whereas an additional Rs50 billion in developmental funds will be utilised during the ongoing fiscal year.

“A budget of Rs83 billion has been earmarked by the provincial government for the development of NMTDs,” he added, adding that all uplift projects will be carried out as per the wishes and preferences of elected representatives and people of the merged districts.

He also presented a cheque worth Rs50,000 to Hazir Khan, a poor labourer whose video went viral on social media. He further directed medical treatment for Hazir’s mother, provision of a monthly stipend and all educational expenses for his children.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2020.