HARIPUR, Nov 19: Minister of state for finance Omar Ayub Khan on Sunday said that development projects worth Rs1.42 billion were being carried out in his constituency in NA-19 while the widening of the G.T. Road between, construction of two bypasses and seven underpasses in Haripur district would start soon.

He was addressing a news conference at his Haripur office.

According to him, during his four years as the minister of state he had got approved for provision of natural gas to Khanpur and Ghazi areas and setting up of grid stations in Khanpur and Khalabat, exchanges of local loop telephone system, a sports stadium and filtration plants in the 45 union councils in Haripur.

He said that the project to carpet 32km-long Nara Amazai and Bait Gali roads costing about Rs80 million had been approved by the Ecnec he said adding that to produce technical manpower for Hattar Industrial Estate, short courses were being started at Govt Polytechnic Colleges in Sera-i-Saleh and Govt Technical College in Ghazi to curb joblessness.

Referring to the growth of domestic industry and economy, he said that the government was making all out efforts to make Pakistani products competitive abroad. For this purpose, he said that, deep-sea fishing, motorcycle, food processing, gems and jewelry and granite industry was being given a boost by the government.

About the Women’s Protection Bill, he termed it a remarkable achievement of the government and said that its credit goes to President Pervez Musharraf, PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

He said that the adoption of bill had broadened the rift between opposition parties.