PESHAWAR, Jan 9: The federal government has issued directives for foolproof security to experts and field staff at the Kurram Tangi dam site which it has decided to construct at the cost of Rs17.2 billion.

According to the APP, General Manager Planning and Development Wapda has given green signal to the provincial government for initiating the project and said that experts would soon arrive in the area to construct metallic roads leading to the dam site.

According to the sources, Wapda has finalized the feasibility, design and tender documents of the project which has been approved by the executive committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) during its meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

It merits mention here that the project was a long-standing demand of the people of the area and District Nazim Lakki Marwat Humayun Saifullah Khan had given the proposal to President General Pervez Musharraf in 2001.

Construction of the dam would help in financial uplift of local people and making the NWFP self sufficient in the agriculture sector.

The dam would make 360,500 acres of barren land cultivable besides producing 75 megawatt electricity.—APP