MANSEHRA: Federal parliamentary secretary for interior and MNA Mohammad Sajjad said here the other day that seven multi-billion rupees development projects would be executed in Mansehra district in the next financial year as the federal government had earmarked funds for them in the 2023-24 budget.

He told reporters here that foundation stones of those projects were laid by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his last year’s visit to the district.

Mr Sajjad said it was a big achievement of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government as all mega development projects which were inaugurated by the PM here were approved in the current financial year’s budget.

“Rs1.6 billion has been allocated for establishing a basic aerodrome and acquiring land for an airport in Mansehra, Rs4.72 billion for building the Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Motorway, Rs0.5 billion for putting up the Tanawal interchange on the Hazara Motorway in Potha village, Rs0.56 billion for constructing a tunnel to link Khaki area with Oghi town, and Rs1.7 billion for uplifting academic and infrastructural facilities in the Hazara University,” he said.

Govt earmarked massive funds for them: MNA

The parliamentary secretary also said Rs0.4 billion and Rs7.69 billion funds were approved for Mansehra’s water supply and interlinking 765KV grid station with 220KV grid station in Mansehra district, respectively.

He said a 27km motorway would be built with foreign funding in the region to bring development to the province and adjoining Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

TOURIST FACILITATION: The police department opened a tourist facilitation centre on the University Interchange at the Hazara Expressway here the other day.

“This facility’s establishment comes on the orders of our police chief to facilitate tourists en route to Kaghan valley. The personnel deployed here will update visitors about the latest weather and road situation, and help them in emergency,” DPO Zahoor Babar Afridi told reporters at the centre.

The DPO said tourists and Gilgit-Baltistan-bound travellers used to get stuck in Kaghan valley due to landslides on Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, but that won’t happen in future.

“We will stop tourists from further travel in case of landslides or inclement weather,” he said. The centre would remain operational around the clock, he added.

He said he had barred traffic wardens from fining tourists anywhere in the district as those people were guests and they shouldn’t be troubled during the recreational visit.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2023