PESHAWAR, April 9: Federal Minister for Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan has said that a huge amount of Rs18 billion will be spent on Lowari Tunnel, Rs9.6 billion on Peshawar Northern Bypass, Rs50 billion on Khanjrab to Raikot Highway and Rs42 billion on Hasanabdal to Mansehra Expressway.

He said huge funds were being spent under the ministry on different development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to facilitate the people and resolve the long awaited problems.He expressed these views during a crowded press conference at the site of Peshawar Northern Bypass here on Saturday. On the occasion, NHA General Manager (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Region) Yousaf Ali Khan, GM Motorways Shahid Khan, other high officials and local dignitaries were also present.

Briefing the media persons about the ongoing projects in the province, the minister clarified that there was no hold up in any communication project in the province except for a short delay in some projects due to shortage of funds and security reasons in some areas. However, he said, now work had been resumed on all these projects. Therefore, the minister said, the people should not pay heed to baseless propaganda being spread by some undemocratic elements.

The minister said that Lowari Tunnel was a major project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its early completion was government’s top priority on which more than Rs5 billion had been spent so far.

Dr Alamgir said that the government had some financial constraints but it was determined to materialise the dream of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and efforts were being made to complete this tunnel by 2014.

He said that the completion of Peshawar Northern Bypass would not only facilitate trade and tourism with Afghanistan and Central Asian States, but also strengthen road links with these countries and help boost our economy.

Peshawar, he said, was facing unprecedented pressure due to expanding population and the completion of Northern Bypass would help minimise this pressure.

He said that link roads and interchanges would also be constructed to connect Charsadda Road, Nasir Bagh and Warsak Road with the Northern Bypass and this 32-km highway would also have 18 underpasses and six bridges.

Dr Alamgir said that Khushalgarh Bridge, connecting Kohat with Punjab, was 125 years old and was dangerous for heavy traffic. Therefore, he added, a new bridge would be constructed by the NHA with the aid of MOLE Pakistan and OGDCL Pakistan. Work on this project will start next week and will cost Rs2 billion.

The Khajrab to Raikot Highway, he said, would cost Rs50 billion and help strengthen our trade with China. He said that Peshawar was his home constituency and he took exclusive interest in its development.

He said that underpasses would be constructed at Jehangirabad and Tehkal Payan and work on Hayatabad Flyover would also start soon. He said Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had also promised to sanction one billion rupees to connect Northern Bypass with Hayatabad and other areas of Peshawar.

The Southern Bypass, he said, would also be constructed which would connect Kohat with Takhta Beg and facilitate traffic to Afghanistan for which the prime minister had promised to sanction an additional one billion rupees.

“The NHA manages 11,800-km roads out of a total of 280,000-km network across the country, but 80 per cent of country’s traffic moves on 11,800-km roads, therefore, it is our endeavor to keep on upgrading the road network,” he said.

While replying to questions, he said that HEC and the education sector were being devolved to the provinces under the constitution.

He said that there was no doubt that politicians were also responsible for the problems faced by the country today, but they are not the only ones to be blamed for all the mess.