The Northern Areas Planning and Development Department has given approval to 32 development schemes worth Rs 11 billion to bring this backward area at par with rest of the developed areas of the country.
The sources in Planning and Development Department of Northern Areas told APP here Friday that the accelerated pace of development was undertaken at the behest of the federal government, which was taking keen interest in the development of Northern Areas.
Secretary Planning and Development Northern Areas, Attiq-ur-Rehman, gave approval to 32 development projects for Northern Areas at a meeting held here. Giving breakdown of the new development schemes the Northern Areas administration initiated, the meeting was told that power sector was being given priority while according the approval of the projects.
It was decided at the meeting that eight power projects would also be completed in all the districts of Northern Areas to overcome the shortage of electricity. An additional amount of Rs 40 million would be provided to Gilgit for the construction of RRC bridges and Rs 12.5 million would be spent on renovation of roads in the Skardu district.