PESHAWAR, Dec 21: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched a $98 million programme for improving municipal services delivery, including revival of 40 tube wells and replacement of obsolete water supply pipelines in Peshawar. Of the total amount, $85 million was being provided by the USAID.

Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour said this during a press conference at Officers Mess here on Friday. Information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain was also present on the occasion.

Mr Bilour said that 16 new pump houses would be constructed and 24 water supply machines would be replaced in addition to construction and cleaning of drains. He said that under the programme new vehicles and machinery would be bought for tehsil municipal authority (TMA) Town-I, which included 21 mini-dumpers, 43 roadside dustbins, 49 containers, six trucks, five tractor sweepers, 50 manual sweepers, one sucking machine, one excavator and 82 other items.

He said that the government had planned to construct northern section of Ring Road from Pejaggi Road to Warsak Road with a cost of Rs4.8 billion while a flyover at the entry point of phase-III of Hayatabad would be constructed with a cost of Rs1.14 billion. He said that earth-breaking ceremony would soon be held in this regard.

Mr Bilour said that the government had increased the number of TMAs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 55 to 69 to overcome civic problems. He said that the TMAs would generate their own funds to facilitate citizens.

He said that the government had planned to provide fire engines, multi- loaders, vehicles for cleanliness to all TMAs in the province, while all streetlights would be gradually replaced with solar lights. He said that civil colonies would be established in different districts, including Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan and Swat, while a new scheme in Haripur and a scheme of phase-II in Abbottabad and township at Thandyani were also part of the plan.

He said that work on Rs1.76 billion under-construction Mufti Mehmood Flyover would be completed till Dec 2013. He said that the provincial government had initiated all development schemes in consultation with elected representatives to solve people’s problems.

The minister said that during its tenure the government had set a target of 6,577 development schemes, but it completed 8,763 schemes despite problems created due to terrorism and flash floods.

The senior minister claimed that militancy in Swat had started due to poor administration of the district nazim concerned, but the provincial government managed to get the people rid of terrorism. He said that it would be difficult to hold local bodies elections before the next general elections.