March 11, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

PESHAWAR, March 10: The city district government has decided to remove the greenbelt from both the sides of the Grand Trunk Road to resolve the issue of increasing traffic in the city.

Addressing a meeting at Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Monday, District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali said that the traffic was fast increasing in the city and widening of roads had become mandatory.

The best option, he said, was to remove the greenbelt and expand the service roads. He said that the greenbelt in the middle of University Road would be also reduced to widen the road. He also sought suggestions from the SCCI office-bearers in this regard.

The city government, he said, had almost completed its work for brining the CNG buses on the roads and the summary had also been approved but the caretaker provincial government disapproved it for unknown reasons.

The nazim hoped that the new provincial government would patronise the local government system by extending cooperation to the elected representatives and using all possible resources for solution to the problems being faced by the residents of the metropolis.

Responding to some points raised by SCCI president Haji Mohammad Asif, the nazim said 80 per cent work on the construction of the protection wall around Hayatabad had been completed and work on the remaining part was also in progress.

Appreciating the SCCI leadership for cooperating with the city government he said two representatives of the chamber would be inducted in the District Price Review Committee. He said that the city government would welcome the suggestions of the businessmen about developmental projects in the city.

Earlier, the SCCI president said that the desired objectives of the local government system could not be achieved because of the political differences and lack of communication among district, provincial and federal governments.

In Peshawar, he said, the deteriorating law and order situation, encroachments, pollution and pathetic sewerage system had badly affected the commercial activities. He asked for taking early steps for improvement of the situation in the provincial capital.

He said that street lights should be installed in all the localities and commercial areas of the city to control street crime. The SCCI chief said the public welfare schemes needed to be given priority and they must not fall prey to political differences.

SCCI vice president Inayat Khan, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Haji Mhohammad Afzal, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Haji Aftab Iqbal and Javaid Akhtar also spoke on the occasion.