PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday decided to open the Karnal Sher Khan Interchange-Katlang portion of the Swat Motorway to traffic on May 15.

The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak at the CM House here.

A statement issued here said the meeting reviewed progress on the projects being executed in the province by the military-run Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).

CM reviews progress on projects being executed by FWO

The meeting was attended by law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, Peshawar commissioner Shahab Ali Shah, senior member of the Board of Revenue Salman Qaisarani, housing secretary Syed Waqarul Hassan, FWO director, Nowshera deputy commissioner and other senior officials.

The statement said the meeting reviewed the progress on the Swat Motorway and was told that work was being carried out on the projects in three shifts daily.

The officials concerned said work on the portion of the motorway from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange in Swabi to Katlang area of Mardan was in final stages and was likely to be completed by the middle of May.

They assured the chief minister that the work on that portion of the project would be completed by middle of May at all costs.

The statement said the meeting decided that the Sher Khan Interchange-Katlang portion of the Swat Motorway would be opened to traffic on May 15.

The meeting was also informed that work on other portions of the project was being executed at fast pace; the making a passage through 10 kilometers long mountainous area was also nearing completion; work on one of two tunnels, which were part of the project, was in final stages, and tunneling was under way on both sides of the mountain.

The statement said work on another tunnel near Chakdara was also progressing fast and steel fixtures were being laid inside the tunnel.

The chief minister was informed the ‘pier capping’ for the Nowshera Bridge had been completed, while work was in ‘progressive stage’ at the site, but there was a need for the removal of encroachments from the area.

CM Pervez Khattak directed the deputy commissioner of Nowshera to ensure early removal of encroachments to expedite work on the project.

He also directed the officials to construct footpath and the road and said he would inaugurate the bridge on May 18.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2018