KP chief secretary offers full support to China in executing CPEC projects

ABBOTTABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Muhammad Salim Khan Tuesday directed the district administrations and municipal authorities to strictly enforce laws and regulations for ensuring provision of civic amenities to people.

He issued these directions while chairing meetings on CPEC Hazara section progress, cleanliness and sanitation of tourist sites held at Commissioner House Abbottabad on Tuesday. He also directed authorities to take measures for tourist facilitation and removal of encroachment.

Chief Secretary also assured full support and cooperation for constructing two new motorway interchanges, one each for Abbottabad and Mansehra. He also lauded Chinese commitment and progress with regard to the execution of CPEC project and said that impediments being faced by CPEC authorities in completion phase of the project would be removed on a priority basis.

Project Director CPEC while briefed the meeting that works on 118.057 kilometer Hevelian-Thakot section would be completed by February next year with an estimated cost of Rs.133.98 billion while 84.45 percent work on Havelian to Mansehra section has been completed and the phase would be opened for traffic in October this year. He said that 400-meter long Tunnel-I and 1.75kilometer Tunnel-II, which fall in Abbottabad district, have also been completed.

The Chief Secretary appreciating the formal proposal submitted by Commissioner Hazara to provincial government along with PC-1 for construction of additional interchanges said that KP government would extend full support and cooperation for approving proposed projects.

He stressed that feasibility of proposals with regard to post construction management responsibilities, revenue generation and essential allied facilities must be properly worked out for the consideration of provincial government and NHA.

Issuing directions to the Forests Department for initiating tree plantation alongside the under-construction motorway, he also asked CPEC authorities to take concrete measures for preventing land sliding on the route in hilly areas and provide crossing facilities where local populations were separated due to the construction of CPEC.

Speaking about cleanliness, sanitation and building laws in tourists’ areas of Hazara Division, the Chief Secretary directed authorities concerned to devise foolproof system of solid waste collection and disposal and sanitation.

He also directed district administrations to keep a vigilant eye on quality and prices of essential edibles and extend maximum facilitation to visiting tourists. He also ordered development authorities to determine room rents for tourists in consultation with hotel associations and take stringent action to stop illegal constructions in their respective areas.

Commissioner Hazara Division, Syed Zaheer ul islam, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Aamir Afaq, District Police Officers of Abbottabad and Manshera, Abbas Majeed Marwat and Zaibullah khan, Project Director CPEC, Abdul Rahman , Project Director Kaghan Development Authority, Fahim Sajjad, Director General Galyat Development Authority, Raza Habib and officer concerned authorities attend the meeting.