MANSEHRA: The industries department on Friday announced plans to turn the Kaghan valley into an all-weather tourist destination under the Economic Revitalisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Project.

Chief minister’s special adviser on industry Kareem Khan handed over snow-blowing and other heavy machinery to Kaghan Development Authority deputy director Sajjad Jan for the purpose here.

Mr Kareem told reporters that the KDA would identify places in Kaghan valley, where landsliding takes place frequently.He said the government wanted to promote tourism in the province in line with the prime minister’s vision, so it was providing modern machinery to the Kaghan and Galiyat development authorities for garbage disposal to preserve environment.

The chief minister’s aide said his department had extended the financial support of Rs64 million to small and medium entities to promote tourism in the province.

“The government in collaboration with the World Bank has launched the Economic Revitalisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Project in 2012 to support small and medium enterprises through the matching grant along with the promotion of integrated tourism through the clean and green initiative,” he said.

Mr Kareem said Kaghan and Manoor valleys in Mansehra district was being linked with far-off scenic places by road and that the chief minister inaugurated a mega road project for the purpose last month. Secretary of the industries department Javed Marwat said the government was promoting an integrated tourism in the province.

KDA deputy director Sajjad Jan said the industries department had provided the authority with heavy machinery, so it was clearing landslides from the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to restore traffic.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2020