GILGIT, Nov 18: The Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah on Sunday inaugurated the recently completed Bunji bridge which was washed away by flash floods, last year, officials said.

The officials of public works department said work on the 360-feet-long bridge was started last year and completed within stipulated time at a cost of Rs18 million. The bridge links garrison valley of Bunji with Karakuram Highway.

Senior administration officials and Minister of Excise and Taxation Mohammad Naseer, elders and senior military officials were also present on the occasion.

Later, the chief minister was given a briefing by the deputy commissioner Astore Momin Jan regarding law and order situation in the district. Mr Momin Jan said a 14-member committee of elders had been formed to maintain peace and harmony during Muharram in the area.

The chief minister directed the officials to provide foolproof security to mourners. He also assured the public representatives that meeting would be called after Muharram to work out a strategy for uplift of the district.

BOOSTING AGRICULTURE: The Gilgit-Baltistan government has allocated a huge amount of Rs42 million to modernise agriculture sector of the region.

Officials at the directorate of agriculture said during the current fiscal year the department would organise extensive trainings for farmers to prepare them for adopting modern technologies to boost their production.

Meanwhile, US embassy’s cultural attaché in Islamabad, Brian M Gible, has said US sponsored programmes are meant to strengthen friendship between the people of two countries. He was speaking at the reunion ceremony of Pak-US Alumni, Gilgit-Baltistan chapter, at Skardu on Sunday, reports our correspondent.

He said the US was working for development of the people of Pakistan in collaboration with Pakistani organisations and people.

“We should work for the solution to our problems,” he maintained.

Speaking on the occasion, assistant cultural attaché Ms Lora said they were giving modern education to Pakistani youth in the American institutions. “We want students in rural areas to avail these opportunities and become part of a developed society,” she said.