Fata to be ‘urbanised’ under pilot project
Sanitation and sewerage systems to be established.
PESHAWAR:
Fourteen locations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have been selected to be transformed into urban hubs, aiming to provide tribesmen in one of the most underdeveloped part of the country with a city life.
The Fata secretariat has announced that the pilot project will be initiated in Khar, Bajaur Agency in the coming months. The project, led by the Tribal Areas Rural-to-Urban Centres Conversion Initiative (TARUCCI), aims to establish small urban hubs to provide better opportunities for governance and socio-economic development in the tribal areas. At least two hubs will be developed in every tribal agency.
“The pilot project includes 450 streetlamps powered by solar energy being placed in Khar,” said TARUCCI Project Director Omer Khan. The lighting system will stretch over an 11-kilometre area, he added. This will also help extend business activities till later hours.
“The current rural-tribal society in Fata, with its scattered demographics, is not conducive for the provision of modern conveniences in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” said an official source of the Fata secretariat. Urban hubs will socially transform tribal societies to resemble those of the settled districts of Peshawar and other localities, where people live comfortably.
The first project cycle (PC-1) for Khar has been approved and has an estimated cost of $25 million. Khan confirmed this, adding that the World Bank was assisting this development by giving aid and grants. He said that the environment in Khar had the most favourable conditions to launch a pilot scheme.
“The project is based on standard municipal services, providing street lights, pavements, a water supply, sanitation and planned sewerage systems among other services,” Khan said, adding that education and health care facilities and trade and transport infrastructure would serve as a catalyst for development.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2012.
Fourteen locations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have been selected to be transformed into urban hubs, aiming to provide tribesmen in one of the most underdeveloped part of the country with a city life.
The Fata secretariat has announced that the pilot project will be initiated in Khar, Bajaur Agency in the coming months. The project, led by the Tribal Areas Rural-to-Urban Centres Conversion Initiative (TARUCCI), aims to establish small urban hubs to provide better opportunities for governance and socio-economic development in the tribal areas. At least two hubs will be developed in every tribal agency.
“The pilot project includes 450 streetlamps powered by solar energy being placed in Khar,” said TARUCCI Project Director Omer Khan. The lighting system will stretch over an 11-kilometre area, he added. This will also help extend business activities till later hours.
“The current rural-tribal society in Fata, with its scattered demographics, is not conducive for the provision of modern conveniences in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” said an official source of the Fata secretariat. Urban hubs will socially transform tribal societies to resemble those of the settled districts of Peshawar and other localities, where people live comfortably.
The first project cycle (PC-1) for Khar has been approved and has an estimated cost of $25 million. Khan confirmed this, adding that the World Bank was assisting this development by giving aid and grants. He said that the environment in Khar had the most favourable conditions to launch a pilot scheme.
“The project is based on standard municipal services, providing street lights, pavements, a water supply, sanitation and planned sewerage systems among other services,” Khan said, adding that education and health care facilities and trade and transport infrastructure would serve as a catalyst for development.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2012.