MANSEHRA: Work on the Suki Kinari hydropower project is in full swing and will be completed in November this year, said an official on Thursday.

“After Tuesday’s suicide attack on Chinese engineers in Shangla, our workers, including foreigners, continued to perform their duties,” assistant director of the project Syed Abdul Rehman told reporters.

He said the 884-megawatt Suki Kinari project was being executed on the Kunhar River in Kaghan Valley under the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.

Mr Rehman said it would be the first reservoir in the province to be built under the CPEC.

He said the security of over 300 Chinese engineers and workers at the project site had been “further enhanced” after the Shangla suicide attack.

“We run two shifts daily as usual, with both Pakistani and Chinese workers committed to the project’s successful execution on time,” he said.

The official said the reservoir was filled with water earlier this month to check its spillways.

“This is an asphalt concrete dam filled with rocks,” he said.

Mr Rehman said the project led to the diversion of part of the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road.

“We have completed all phases of construction, so its successful execution is likely to happen this November,” he said.

FUNDS PROMISED: Adviser to the chief minister on culture and tourism Zahid Chanzeb on Thursday said the province’s next budget would have funds for ensuring communication services in Kaghan Valley and other tourist attractions in the province.

“We [the government] are committed to promoting tourism in the province, but a lack of communication and other facilities is a hurdle to it, so we’re going to earmark funds in the upcoming budget to address all such issues,” Mr Chanzeb told visitors here.

The delegation was led by PML-N MPA from Mansehra Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf and mostly comprised representatives of the tourism industry.

The adviser to the CM said communication infrastructure would be laid in Kaghan, Battakundi, and Babusar Top areas of Mansehra district.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is paradise on Earth, and therefore, it is our top priority to attract tourists from within the country and abroad,” he said.

Mr Chanzeb said his department was finalising the feasibility report for the installation of a chairlift in Kaghan Valley.

He said the government would promote winter tourism by developing infrastructure.

MPA Yusuf told him that the Siren and Konsh valleys were top tourist destinations in the district, and therefore, authorities should ensure smooth access to them.

He also said more and more recreational places should be explored to boost tourist arrivals in the province, especially during the summer.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024