PESHAWAR, Aug 2: MMA leader Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitral, MNA, has demanded that the federal government start a new air service to Chitral valley before Sept 1 so that people of the area could get an alternative mode of transport till the completion of the Lowari tunnel.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Maulana Chitrali said that the government had assured him on the floor of the National Assembly that new jets were being purchased for Chital, but that promise has not been fulfilled.

Maulana Chitrali said that he was making efforts to get the relief package announced by President Musharraf for Chitral during his referendum campaign. He said that he had raised the issue in the National Assembly and succeeded in getting government assurance that the package worth Rs100 million would be released.

About the tunnel project, he said the matter remained pending for the last 27 years and no headway had been made despite hectic efforts of the valley people. He said that in 2001 all the political and social groups of the valley set up an organization under the name of Anjuman-i-Tahaffuze Huqooq Chitral.

The organization utilized all its energies to get their demand of Lowari tunnel construction accepted by the federal government. It was due to the efforts of the organization that the government announced the construction of the tunnel in 2004, he said.

The project is not only included in the federal budget for the fiscal year 2004-05 but has also been projected in the Ecnec award. He said Rs8 billion have been specified for the project, he informed. He said that work on the project would commence in September and be completed in 2007 at a total cost of Rs7.9 billion. -PPI