GILGIT, May 23: The Northern Areas force commander, Maj-Gen Nadeem Ahmed Khan, at a consultative meeting with the community representatives of Danyore and Sultanabad on Thursday, called upon the people of the rural areas to judiciously utilize the farm and agriculture resources of the region.

Earlier, the secretary for local government, education and health, Saeed Ahmed Khan, briefed Mr Khan about an irrigation channel in Sultanabad, which has been completed at a cost of Rs1,832,958.

This channel is 13,500 feet long and irrigates over 300 kanals, directly benefiting 4,272 families of the village.

Speaking to community leaders, Mr Khan urged the people to harness the conventional potential, which could be utilized to increase the productivity of fruits and cash crops in the rural belts. He sought recommendations from the community leaders and heard their problems.