CHITRAL: Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan will inaugurate work on the 69MW Lawi hydropower project near Drosh town here today (Tuesday).

It is worth mentioning here that the project was earlier inaugurated in May 2012 by the then chief minister, Amir Haider Hoti, but work on it could not be started.

Lawi is the biggest ever power project undertaken by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo) in Chitral which had been initiated by the previous ANP government, but no allocation was made for it in the budget and it remained in cold storage.

A source in Pedo told Dawn that preliminary works for launching the project had been started, including hiring of consultant firm to design the project, purchase of land and construction of access road to the site. He said it might take four to six months to start work on the project.

69MW hydropower unit is located in Chitral

The PTI chief accompanied by information minster Shah Farman and energy and education minister Mohammad Atif reached here on Monday, while chief minister will fly to the site of the project on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Chitral chapter of ANP has castigated the PTI leaders for inaugurating the power project which had been initiated by its chief minister Amir Haider Hoti five years ago.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, ANP district president Haji Eidul Hussain and other leaders said the PTI leaders were trying to hoodwink the people by inaugurating the mega power project started by their party.

They said PTI had badly failed to pay attention towards the development of Chitral which could be judged from the fact that its chief minister never visited Chitral during the last four years while Mr Hoti had visited the district eight times during his tenure.

MOTHER, CHILD WEEK: A mother and child week will kick off today (Tuesday), during which over 480 lady health workers supported by other paramedical staff would approach the targets in all the 24 union councils of the district.

Speaking at a preparatory seminar held on Monday to review the arrangements for the the campaign, district health officer Dr Israrullah said the week had four-pronged objectives of vaccinating children up to two years of age, administering, providing anti-worm medicines to children of 3 to 5 years of age, giving anti-tetanus injections to pregnant women and dissemination of awareness to the community about hygiene and health.

He said a lecture would be delivered in each village about health and hygiene in which the community members would be told about ways to ward off the diseases and lead a healthy life.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2017