MINGORA, April 26: NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said implementation on Malakand Rural Support Programme is to be taken in hand in a month or two.

Under the programme, Rs3 billion would be spent on the socio-economic uplift of Swat, Buner, Shangla districts as well as Malakand agency, where roads development would get special priority, he said.

He was addressing a meeting of Nazimeen, Naib Nazimeen and councillors of district Swat in Wadoodia Hall at Saidu Sharif on Friday after inaugurating the natural gas project for the city.

About 68km long pipeline has been laid at a cost of Rs380 million up to Mingora. The governor also announced extending the pipeline to Kalam and Shamozai, spread over another 57km, by next year.

He also declared that not only all the towns and other populated areas including Thana, Betkhela, Chakdara and Malakand falling in the reach of the pipeline would be provided with gas facility but it would also be extended from Chakdara to Timergara in due course of time.

Referring to the importance of forests, the governor said, in fact, almost the entire economy of the people evolved around this natural wealth which attracted tourists as well as ensured beauty and pleasant weather in the area.

One of the key objects of spending millions on the provision of Sui gas was also to provide alternative means to meet the fuel requirement of the people and thus protect this natural wealth, he said, adding new vistas of trade and industrial development would be opened in consequence.

Referring to the points raised by the councillors on this occasion, he said health and education departments had already been totally brought under the administrative control of the district governments who were fully responsible to make recruitments as well as postings and transfers.

Earlier, the governor formally inaugurated the supply of natural gas by switching on at village Balogram near Mingora.

The SNGPL MD said that the project had been in limbo for the last seven years because of non-availability of funds.