Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak is set to formally inaugurate Swat Express Way on 11th of August. This was decided in a high level meeting chaired by him here today that was convened to sketch out the construction work on Swat Expressway before Independence Day.
The meeting finalised arrangement for the construction of Swat Express Way which was attended by Advisor to CM on Communication Akbar Ayub, Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, DG Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Major General Muhammad Afzal, administrative secretaries and other concerned. The meeting negotiated the cost of Swat Express Way, the time frame, the mode of payment, the process of construction work simultaneously at different spots on the Express Way and the subsidy etc and made a number of decisions for the accelerated work on the Express Way.
The provincial government made up of its mind to give Rs six billion frontier works organisation before the end of this month and the remaining 5.5 billion will be reflected in the next ADP for onward release to the FWO. The provincial government would pay a sum of Rs 11.5 billion for the project. Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on the M1 is the venue of the inaugural ceremony where a public gathering will be held.
However next month the project will again be started from the Malakand site where constructions of tunnel etc would be undertaken. The meeting agreed because of the time tag of roundabout one and half year for the completion of the project, the FWO would take up different places where construction of the Express Way would be undertaken. Earlier DG FWO Major General Muhammad Afzal expressed his willingness in different hydel projects in Chitral, Batta Kundi, Naran and Balakot and so on. He assured that his organisation has the capacity to initiate works on these projects within three months.