PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has allocated Rs3.14 billion for 53 projects in the sports, tourism and cultural heritage sectors in its budget for fiscal year 2017-18. This includes Rs2.52 billion for the ongoing projects and Rs620 million for new projects.

Presenting the budget in the provincial assembly on Wednesday, Provincial Finance Minister Muzaffar Said Advocate said that the government had initiated 53 development schemes for the youth in sports, tourism and culture so as to bring back the traumatized youth to healthy activities besides portraying a soft image of the province at the national and international levels.

He said that the new budget would provide resources for completing Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium on fast track. He said that work on construction of 158 playgrounds had been initiated of which 85 would be completed by December this year.

Football ground to be set up at Qayyum Sports Complex

Recalling the government’s four-year performance, he said that for the first time it formulated the tourism and youth policies to promote adventure tourism. He said that the government initiated a plan to develop tent villages at nine different places of which four had been completed to manage the influx of tourists at different tourism spots.

Muzaffar Said Advocate said that events like motorcycle rallies, jeep rallies, gliding, vantage car rally, safari train, boating and family festivals were organised to highlight the soft image of the province. He said the Directorate of Tourists’ Services was constituted for ensuring one-window facility which could share information with the travel agents, guides, hotels and restaurants.

He said when they came to power the province had 114 playing facilities. He said that within four years the provincial government initiated 115 new development projects in sports besides rehabilitating 36 different grounds and stadiums across the province.

The finance minister said that other projects included excavation of heritage sites at different places in the province and protection and development of cultural heritage and Kalash culture.

He said that initiatives like construction of Art Academy in Peshawar and cultural complexes at divisional level and establishing culture endowment fund had been taken. He said that a football ground would be established at the Qayyum Sports Complex according to international needs besides provision of hockey turfs at Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Kohat and Charsadda.

He said that roads, sanitation work and upgradation of local area authorities at Naran, Kalam, Sheikh Badin, Chitral and various other tourism resorts would be developed for boosting tourism that would also create employment for the local people.

The finance minister said that for the first time the government had launched a big event “Khilari Ho Tu Sabit Karo” under which the first and second Under-23 Games were organised. He said that completion of work on Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex, Charsadda, Hayatabad Sports Complex, Astro-Turf at Mardan Sports Complex, provision of boxing ring in all divisional headquarters and rehabilitation of Qayyum Sports Complex and Tehmas Khan Football Stadium were some of the achievements of the present government.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017