PESHAWAR, Feb 21: The NWFP government has decided to prepare a master plan for the development of tourist and scenic areas and allocate maximum resources in the next annual budget to make the province more attractive for tourists at national and international levels, provincial Local Government and Rural Development Minister Sardar Mohammad Idrees has said.

Galyat had the top priority in the plan, which included large-scale forestation, launching modern mini-train service between Ayubia and Nathiagali and installing latest chairlifts and cable-cars at different places, the minister told media representatives during his a visit to Lahore recently.

He said the Galyat Development Authority had been assigned the tasks.

He said Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had agreed in principle to launch the plan under which ‘new Nathiagali’ would be developed on the pattern of new Murree in addition to picnic spots, lakes and other recreation and tourist facilities, especially parks.

The minister said that recreation parks in Lahore were impressive and he wanted the Punjab government and the private sector to help the NWFP in promoting tourism.

He said the government would welcome any proposal in this regard.

In reply to a question, he said the entire country had been affected by the recent wave of terrorism and the NWFP could not be singled out in this regard. He said Chief Minister Durrani had earlier converted the province into a cradle of peace and tranquillity through his realistic approach.

He said the Frontier government was not only concerned at the bomb blast in Peshawar but equally on those occurred in Quetta, Bajaur, Lahore, Karachi or anywhere in the country. “We want the centre not only to fully help us in combating terrorism but also to resolve its root causes,” he maintained.

He said that the causes for these bomb blasts were well known.

Answering another question, the NWFP minister lamented that the Water and Power Development Authority had again moved the court instead of honouring the decision of the arbitration tribunal for payment of the net hydel profit share to the province, negating all the guarantees of the centre and assurances extended by the president.

He said the situation had raised the questions whether Wapda was a subordinate department of the federal government or if the payment was more precious than the federation and the provincial stability.

He expressed the hope that the president and the prime minister would play a positive role in this regard.

He advocated the provincial government’s move to rename the NWFP and expressed optimism that the province would soon reach consensus in this regard.—PPI