SWABI: Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Asad Qaisar on Thursday announced Rs500 million funding for different projects in the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate.

He visited the estate along with labour and public health engineering minister Shah Farman and MPAs Abdul Karim, Shiraz Khan and Ayesha Naeem.

Officials of the relevant departments and local industrialists were also present on the occasion. The visit was arranged by the Gadoon Industrial Association (GIA).

Addressing industrialists, Qaisar said the government would spend Rs140 million on the reconstruction of dilapidated roads in the estate as part of its commitment to industrial development in the province.

He said Rs60 million would be allocated for the establishment of a school to offer technical training to local residents to enable them to get jobs in the local industry.

“After the establishment of this school, the Gadoon estate entrepreneurs will not need to bring in technical manpower from other parts of the country,” he said.

The speaker said Rs300 million would be given to the GIA for provision of facilities to local industrialists.

“We have planned to set up a 50-bedded modern and fully equipped hospital in Gadoon estate as the Social Security Hospital has failed to cater to the needs of industrialists,” he said.

Qaisar said work on the road between Gadoon estate and Topi had got underway and that it would be completed at the cost of Rs143 million.

“We want to make Gadoon a model industrial estate,” he said. The speaker said 200 acre more land would be acquired for the expansion of Gadoon estate.

He said the government would also set up a guesthouse and build Swabi Bypass Road and Gadoon estate playground.

On the occasion, minister Shah Farman said another Working Folks Grammar School would be built in Gadoon estate for the children of workers to resolve the problem of overcrowded classes in the existing school.

He said new reforms had been initiated in all sectors of economy and that they would take time to complete but the exercise would be carried out fairly and transparently.

The minister said the government would give Rs1500 stipend each to the children of workers on monthly basis and that the money would go straight to the workers’ accounts to get transport facility or save.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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