DADU: The most pleasant tourist place of Sindh located at Kheer Thar Mountain Range some 93km away from Dadu city — Gorakh Hills station will be fully operational by June and July this year.

This was stated by Gorakh Hills Development Authority (GHDA) project director engineer Gulzar Ali Khushik while briefing newsmen on Tuesday about uplift work.

He said 80 per cent work on restaurant, canteen and tuck shop, eight huts at the top of the hills station was completed.

In reply to a question, he said the schemes of water supply, electricity and a motorable road had been completed already.

While work on widening of a cemented road from bottom to the top of the hill station was going on fast and it was 85 per cent completed.

He said Khawal Luk had been a difficult point on way to reach the top at the height of 5,700 feet above the sea, but the point had been widened from 12 feet to 50 feet.

He said it had been planned to construct a retaining wall along the Khawal Luk so that the road could not be damaged with mud slides during rainy season.

Answering a question about expenses and funds for GHDA development schemes, he said Rs600 million had been spent on the schemes of this tourist place during the past 10 years. Many works were damaged in the heavy rains of 2010.

He said this was a mega development project, but had been facing a shortage of funds. He said Ecnec had approved a Rs999 million budget for the GHDA in 2005, of which 50 per cent each funds were to be released by the federal and Sindh governments. But the federal government had not issued the funds, he said.

He said that on the request of GHDA Chairman and MNA Sardar Rafique Ahmed Jamali each PPP MPA had agreed to share their funds from Rs5 million to Rs10 million for the development of this tourist place. The GHDA had also requested Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to release a special budget Rs500 million for quick completion of the development schemes.

In reply to a question about the law and order situation, he said it was a peaceful area and police stations had been established at the distance of five to 10 kilometers from Wahi Pandhi town to the top of the hill station.

He said it had been planned that a separate force would be appointed to look after all issues related to security and the law and order situation in the area of GHDA.

He said the area had more than 24,000 acres of land and the GHDA had written to the Sindh government to issue a notification for officially handing over the land to the authority to launch major plans and schemes.

He said the environment at Gorakh Hills Station was friendly and families and individuals were visiting the spot. They were being provided all the required facilities.

He said work on a helipad, an amusement park and lift chairs would be started as soon as the Sindh government released funds.

Talking about the temperature recorded at the top of Gorakh Hills Station, he said it was -5 degree Celsius and it remained + 15 to+ 20 Celsius in summer.

He said this area received low rain as compared to Koh Mari, adding that through drip irrigation system, plants would be sown to make its environment better.

He said he had ordered to construct water tanks for lifting water for plants.