PESHAWAR, July 15: The NWFP government has unveiled a development programme for uplift and beautification of the city.

According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, the government accepted an offer of a mega development plan of a Chinese firm about providing better facilities to the people of Peshawar in social sectors, including water and power supply and development and beautification of the city.

The decision was taken at a meeting held under NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour at his office. The meeting was attended by provincial secretary for planning and development Mohammad Ikram Khan, secretary for local government and rural development Hifzur Rehman, City Development and Municipal Department director-general Qazi Qaim Ali and representatives of the Chinese firm, Beijing Urban Construction Engineering Company, Iltifaat Ali Wasti and Azhar Jameel.

The plan includes remodelling of the Peshawar Bus Terminal, provision of filtered water to Peshawar from Warsak and Spaira dams, construction of the Matani-Bara road, northern and southern bypass highways and producing electricity from local canals to end loadshedding in the city.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bilour invited local and foreign investment in the NWFP in social and economic sectors and said the provincial government would ensure security of the investment.

He welcomed Chinese firm’s financing five mega projects and gave an assurance that the provincial government would not levy any tax on the firm. He said the present government had inherited the problem of financial constraints like other issues from the previous government, adding that the role of friendly countries like China in socio-economic development of the province was welcome.

He said provision of drinking water to Peshawar from Warsak and Spaira dams would reduce burden on tubewells of the city, besides saving Rs130 million of electricity bills only in the Town-I area.

Complaining about what he called the step-motherly attitude of the federal government about provision of resources and rights to the province, he said the NWFP was being ignored despite being the frontline province, first during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and now in the war on terrorism. He said a major chunk of foreign aid should be spent in the province. He said no development package had been announced for the Frontier province or Peshawar by the president or the prime minister although such announcements had been made for other parts of the country.

The minister, however, appreciated the cooperation and offers of friendly countries in this regard. He said a number of organisations, including a Japanese NGO, JICA, had offered investment in the NWFP.

Mr Bilour directed for auctioning plots in phase-III of Hayatabad to make available maximum resources for development of the city.

He directed for expediting work on expansion of three lanes of the Ring Road and completing the remaining part of the Ring Road from the Charsadda road to the Jamrud road.

He also directed officials concerned for development of phase-7 of Hayatabad and expansion of the Peshawar airport at a cost of Rs5 billion.