PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The provincial government has started work on a plan for beautification of Peshawar that includes resolution of problems related to traffic, sewerage, congestions and pollution with consultation of the people from every walk of life.

According to a handout issued here on Sunday, the plan will include building road network and improving drainage, sewerage, water supply and public transport besides providing low cost housing, schools and hospitals to people and establishment of IT zone, education city, industrial zones, sports city and health city.

The handout said that the programme would be also extended to other parts of the province. The historical, cultural and geographical heritage of the province would be explored under the plan, it added.

The initial framework of the programme was approved on Saturday in a high level meeting held here with Chief Minister Parvez Khattak in the chair. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan, Adviser to Chief Minister Rifaqatullah Baber, Chief Secretary Mohammad Shahzad Arbab, Additional Chief Secretary Khalid Parvez and other officials concerned attended the meeting. Former chairman of Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Kamran Lashari, widely acclaimed for beautification of Islamabad and Lahore, briefed the participants of the meeting about his experiences and shared the knowledge he gained during the beautification of these two big and otherwise congested cities.

He informed the participants as to how they converted the places otherwise known for filthy dumps of garbage into scenic picnic spots in those cities. Mr Lashari also told the participants as to how the people owned those beautification drives.

The meeting decided that the programme would be executed in consultation with the local population so that its public ownership, cost effectiveness and sustainability were ensured.

It was also decided that government would welcome suggestions from the participants at a proposed seminar on the subject at the University of Peshawar on September 21. The government would encourage public participation at each and every step from planning up to execution and even sustenance, the meeting decided.

It was decided that all stakeholders, schools, colleges, religious scholars, journalists and traders would not only be involved but motivated to make the programme a success.