News Details

14/02/2017

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak said the western route stands integral part of the CPEC and an additional all weather route connecting Giligit to Dir and Chakdara

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak said the western route stands integral part of the CPEC and an additional all weather route connecting Giligit to Dir and Chakdara via Chitral and Shandoor has already been made part of the CPEC. He expects “Sky is the limit for investment in industrialization and infrastructure” in the foreseeable future. He said greater Peshawar Mass Transit would connect six districts covering transportation to 41% of the total population of the province. 1700 Mega Watt of electricity would be produced from the surplus water resources under CPEC, he added. He said that Rashakai Industrial City would be belt on 40Thousand kanals of land. He said that the province would see a mass scale industrialization and relocation of labour intensive industrial units from China. He said that the provincial government would hold a road show in Beijing towards the end of March to market the natural advantages of the province. He called upon the premier to convene the meeting of the all political forces of the province to take them on board on the western route of CPEC. He said that he succeeded considerably on the provincial rights. His government he added was about to sign an agreement with FWO for construction of two smart cities in Peshawar and Rashakai. He was talking to the cabinet of Peshawar Press Club and Senior Journalists at a dinner in Chief Minister House Peshawar. Advisor to CM for Information Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and Secretary Information Arshad Majeed were also present. The Chief Minister regretted that in the past corruption and corrupt practices had become the brand name of KP because of the misrule. His government made legislations and revamped the public sector entities eliminated interference that stopped corruption and led to an open and transparent governance in the province which was even taken well by the international community. The Chief Minister said that 6th JCC meeting on the CPEC had in principle taken a numbers of projects of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The 123 Km long greater Peshawar Mass Transit connecting Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Peshawar within an additional 103 Km track would further connect Swabi and Malakand, will provide efficient transportation to the 41% of the total population of the province adding that Gilgit Shandoor, Chitral, Chakdara has emerged to be the alternate route and would be all weather route of the CPEC. This will cost Rs.280 billion and would be 586 Km long. He hoped that this road will open up central Asian Republic through Wakhan in the future. The province he added had proposed additional ten hydel power projects with a capacity to produce 2157 Mega Watt of electricity. Pervez Khattak said that this province would have eight more cements industries out of the 12 sites already identified and this would bring another 2 billion $ investment in the province. He said that his government would make some projects part of the CPEC and the rest would be marketed in the road show at Bejing towards the end of March. Chief Minister said his government eliminated corrupt practices through legislations and discouraged political interference in the public sector institutions making them subservient to the will of the people. He said that the institutions that were given autonomy and independence, started delivering. Announcing health insurance card for the journalists, the Chief Minister said that his government would also extend this facility to the employees of the provincial government. Talking about reforms in the health and education sectors, the Chief Minister said that 9000 recruitments of doctors and allied staff have been made through a transparent mechanism to make the health sector to deliver. Tertiary Healthcare has been made autonomous that changed the outlook of the hospitals. Pervez Khattak said his government was clearing the mess accumulated by the misrule of the previous rulers who did politics in everything. The Police force was reformed on professional lines giving it operation and financial autonomy however there were some check and balance mechanism to make it accountable at the same time. Because of this Police has started delivering, he added. Regarding health sector reforms Pervez Khattak said that his government provided Rs. 24 billion for the missing facilities and another Rs.17 billion to the higher secondary schools adding that his government was now planning to give autonomy to public sector colleges throughout the province. He said the provincial government legislated making Nazra and Quran alongwith translation compulsory in the Schools throughout the province. The syllabus was reconciled with the Islamic teachings and English Medium schooling was started from Class I making the poor to compete with the rich through an even handed approach. Under the devolution of power plan, he said that his government transferred Rs.50 billion to the local government system that would reach Rs.80 billion towards the end of next year. This was made to enable the people at the grass root level to plan their own development. He said his government established boards, authorities giving proper representation to private sector in different public sector entities to make them viable and dynamic in the service delivery. His government was also for the social services reforms adding that his government wanted to strengthen the institutions to respond effectively to public grievances. <><><><><><>