KARACHI: Sindh minister for culture, tourism and antiquities Syed Sardar Ali Shah has announced that Gorakh hill station will be provided with solar energy in an attempt to promote the key tourist spot of Sindh. He said this while presiding over a meeting of the Gorakh Hills Development Authority (GHDA) at its office in Karachi.

It was decided at the meeting that the hill station’s current eight tourist huts would be provided with solar energy and so he directed the GHDA authorities to prepare a plan for establishing a solar power plant.

Considerations are being made to hire a consultant with experience in horticulture at such sites so that the hill station would become greener which would accentuate its beauty.

The meeting was attended by GHDA Chairman Rafique Jamali, MPA Sajeela Laghari, GHDA director general Nazir Ahmed Jamali and other concerned officers.

Mr Jamali briefed the minister about the ongoing and completed development works at Gorakh hills. He told the meeting that the GHDA came into existence in 1995 for the sole purpose of developing the selected area of Kirthar range.

The culture minister said that to create a sustainable and eco-friendly tourist destination, local communities and the private sector need to be engaged in this process. For this purpose, he also announced a grand seminar which will be held at Gorakh to attract investors. The minister said that members of the business community, investors, representatives of NGOs, chambers of commerce, foreign consulates, commerce and trade officers, tourists, media representatives and persons from all walks of life will be invited to this seminar.

The GHDA DG apprised the minister that the majority of the works at the summer resort at Gorakh have been completed. The construction works of canteen and tuck shop, tourist huts, distribution of water supply line at Gorakh, restoration of electrification and other facilities have been completed completely.

Whereas the construction of family huts, mosque, circuit house, amusement park and staff quarters is in the process and it is hoped that they would be completed before the holding of the seminar. The meeting also approved the Rs80million budget 2016-17 of the authority.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2016