Over Rs19b budget approved for PKHA

Around Rs1.722b approved for highway maintenance to ensure smooth flow of traffic

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Highways Council on Monday approved an annual budget of around Rs19.414 billion for Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PKHA) for the year 2022-23 to be placed before the provincial cabinet for final approval.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the council chaired by K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

The council also approved the maintenance plan of PKHA 2022- 23 of different highways at an estimated cost of Rs1,722 million in order to ensure the smooth flow of vehicular traffic. Moreover, the council approved provincialisation of different roads and the cre- ation of various new posts for the strengthening of PKHA.

New schemes

The council also briefed in detail about the new schemes of the highways authority reflected in the provincial Annual Development Program (ADP) for the year 2022-23.

A total of five new schemes have been included in ADP including the construction of roads to Kalur

Kot bridge at the Indus River, the construction of the road from Madyan to Kalam, the construction of the RCC bridge on DI Khan Darya Khan Road, dualisation of the road from Indus highway to Bannu City and construction of Shaheeda Sar to Etay Khwar; Sar Kala to Bar Teraj road; improvement of Btara to Shangra Road in District Buner.

Similarly, the construction of a 61 km long road from Barang (Bajaur) to Swat Motorway has also been included in the AIP, which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs5,000 million.

The chief minister, on the occasion, also sought detailed reports from quarters concerned regarding the utilisation of development funds during the previous fiscal year and directed them to ensure the completion of all on-going schemes within stipulated timelines.

He said that the provincial government is spending huge resources on the development of road infrastructure to improve the overall communications network and provide state-of-the-art transport facilities for the public.

He added that a number of initiatives have been taken in this regard to make the province a transit hub in the region and provide a conducive environment for national and regional trade.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)