KOHAT: Provincial finance minister Taimoor Saleem Jhagra has said Rs55 million would be spent on boosting tourism in the Orakzai tribal district.

He stated this while addressing a function after laying the foundation stones of a tourist spot in Samana Sarwar Mela area, and an 8km Sarwar Mela-Khawga Serai road in the tribal district on Monday.

Special assistant to the chief minister on excise and taxation, Ghazi Ghazan Jamal, managing director Tourism Corporation of Pakistan Junaid Khan and MPA from Hangu Shah Faisal were also present on the occasion.

The minister said the government was sincere in exploiting the tourism potential of the tribal districts.

SASTA BAZAAR OPENS: The district administration on Monday opened a Sasta Bazaar on the Jail Plaza Road here to provide the farmers an opportunity to sell their produce directly to the consumers without the role of middlemen and commission agents.

Additional deputy commissioner Bashir Ahmed and district agriculture officer Zahirullah Khattak inaugurated the bazaar.

However, the traders complained of non-provision of electricity, security, water and cleanliness.

When asked why the same bazaar was inaugurated for the fifth time, tehsil municipal officer Mohammad Shoeb said in fact the businessmen were not ready to leave their shops in the main bazaars, and shift to a secluded place.

About the dumps of garbage lying in the bazaar, he said as per the contract signed in 2017, the Water Supply and Sanitation Company was responsible for its removal. He said the TMA had handed over all the staff and machinery to the WSSC.

GAS PROVISION: SNGPL general manager Taj Ali Khan and a technical team of the federal state minister have given approval to issuance of demand notices to clear the backlog of applications submitted by January 31, 2019.

During a visit to Kohat on Monday, Mr Taj Ali said phase-wise work would be launched on the projects worth Rs9 billion identified and announced by federal state minister Sheharyar Afridi.

He said Ogra would be requested to extend the merit list for demand notices to June 2020 so that thousands of deprived people could get the gas facility.

Mr Ali said to cope with the low pressure problem in the city and the localities on the Rawalpindi Road work on laying of six-inch diameter lines would be launched.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2020