PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday ordered the immediate finalisation of the development schemes to be executed under the Kohat Division Development Project (KDDP) in consultation with the people’s representatives.

He issued the orders during a meeting here, said an official statement.

The project is expected to be launched next month for which the chief minister ordered to hold a comprehensive study of the Annual Development Programme and other proposed projects to avoid duplication.

The project will be funded from royalty funds of the oil and gas producing districts in Kohat division.

The provincial government will also contribute 20 per cent fund from the Annual Development Programme to ensure equal development of non oil producing tehsils in the division.

Says uplift of backward areas top priority

The chief minister was informed the meeting that 147,000 households were expected to directly benefit from the development initiatives meant to increase income, employment and livelihood opportunities in the project areas on sustainable basis.

The project area covers Kohat, Hangu and Karak districts having a total of 673 villages, where an estimated amount of Rs15 billion will be spent including Rs9.7 billion for infrastructure development, Rs4 billion for poverty reduction and Rs0.9 billion for development of agriculture, livestock and forestry.

Some initiatives to be undertaken under KDDP include construction of seven small dams in Karak district, one small dam in Hangu district, rehabilitation of eight existing irrigation schemes, operationalisation of 39 non-functional water supply schemes, rehabilitation of 100 kilometers rural roads, provision of infrastructure facilities for 135 girls primary schools and 65 BHUs and rehabilitation of 100 tubewells, whose equipment’s lifespan has expired.

Regarding the portfolio of Kohat division, the chief minister was informed that 87 per cent of the cultivated area was rain-fed with less than 50 per cent of the population having access to clean drinking water. With poverty ratio higher than 50 per cent, Kohat division urgently needs the government’s attention.

The chief minister said the development of backward areas of the province was the top priority of the government for which pragmatic measures were being taken.

He said the KDDP was a major step towards achieving uniform development in the province.

The meeting was also attended by MNA Shahid Khattak, adviser to the chief minister on energy and power Himayatullah Khan, adviser to the chief minister on merged districts Ajmal Wazir, principal secretary to the chief minister Shahab Ali Shah, energy and power secretary and others.

As part of the development initiative, the chief minister is set to inaugurate the water conservation scheme for rain-fed areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa starting from district Karak which will bring vast areas of cultivable waste lands under cultivation thereby increasing the agricultural productivity of the province and also providing livelihood opportunities.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2020