PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has handed over state-of-the-art multi-purpose machinery to Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) and Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) to strengthen emergency response at tourist destinations.

The formal handover took place at a ceremony at Chief Minister’s House here. Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur formally handed over the advanced machinery to the respective authorities.

Briefing the chief minister, officials said that those were the first machines of their kind in Pakistan, designed to keep roads open during snow season. The high-performance equipment is capable of operating efficiently even in harsh weather conditions.

In addition to clearing snow and glaciers from roads, the machines can also remove fallen trees, cut through concrete debris and metal barriers and perform a total of seven different functions.

The equipment has been procured under World Bank-supported Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Project (KITE), with purchase process for four additional machines already under way.

The chief minister said that provincial government, in collaboration with partner organisations, was taking practical steps to make tourist sites safer, more accessible and more attractive for tourists.

He said that availability of those machines would ensure easy access to tourist areas even in winter, significantly improving safety for both tourists and locals during emergencies.

The chief minister said that tourists’ safety and year-round accessibility were essential for promoting tourism. He said that government was working to keep tourism activities operational throughout the year by improving access roads, enhancing infrastructure, developing integrated tourism zones and opening up new tourist destinations.

He highlighted the government’s unique ‘host home stay tourism’ initiative, which was meant to provide quality accommodation to visitors while creating employment opportunities for locals.

He said that investment in emergency response and tourism infrastructure was part of a broader vision to develop the tourism sector on sustainable basis and strengthen economy of the province.

The event was attended by relevant provincial cabinet members, as well as senior officials of tourism department, Galiyat Development Authority and Kaghan Development Authority.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025