PESHAWAR: KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Tuesday launched construction work on Rs.814 million Makh Banda Dam project at District Karak.
The project would be completed in a period of three years. The dam, on completion will bring 725 acres of land under cultivation. The chief minister also performed ground breaking of the rehabilitation of 38-KM long road from Banda Daud Shah to Gurguri which would be completed in two years at estimated cost of Rs.587 million.
Addressing public gatherings at Makh Banda and Banda Daud Shah, the chief minister announced package of Rs.2 billion for gasification of the entire population of District Karak and said that oil & gas royalty funds were the right of people of Karak and other oil producing districts adding that incumbent government, as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched Karak Area Development Project to ensure that the royalty funds are spent on the development of the people of District Karak. “Under the project various developmental schemes of billion rupees in education, health, public health engineering, communication & other social sectors have been initiated for the sustainable development of the district,” he said.
The chief minister said that more than Rs. 9 billion would be spent on the various developmental projects of District Karak during the next four years and added that each and every penny of oil & gas royalty funds would be spent for the wellbeing of the public of oil & gas producing districts.
Mahmood Khan said that the incumbent government was investing on human development whereas previous rulers did nothing for people except looting the public exchequer. The chief minister remarked that the incumbent government was working under comprehensive developmental strategy to put these districts on the path of sustainable development. Terming the unavailability of clean drinking water as a major problem of Karak, the Chief Minister stated that his government was very much serious in resolving this long standing issue on permanent basis adding that a project worth Rs.720 million has been planned to provide clean drinking water from Lawaghar Dam to Karak city which on completion, would provide clean drinking water to 90,000 population. Similarly, he said that work on the dualization of Bannu road has also been started which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs.4 billion out of which Rs. 2 billion had already been released.
Highlighting other developmental projects for district Karak, the Chief Minister said that work on up-gradation of the existing healthcare facilities in district was underway whereas a major teaching hospital was also being established in southern region. He said that Rs. 450 million have been allocated in the current financial year for the execution of various road projects in the district whereas Rs. 550 million were allocated for the construction of sports complex in Karak.
The Chief Minister has termed Peshawar to D.I Khan Motorway project as of vital importance for southern districts and said that the project would be completed with the estimated cost of Rs. 260 billion.
The Chief Minster further stated that extension of Sehat Card Plus to 100 percent population of southern region would be launched by the end of current month after which people of southern districts would also get free healthcare facilities up to Rs.1 million per house hold per annum.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021