MANSEHRA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has said the restrictions imposed on tourist activities in the province due to the outbreak of coronavirus are likely to be lifted after Eidul Azha as the virus incidence is on the decline.

“The government is serious about restoring tourist activities in the province but this will happen only after Prime Minister Imran Khan and other provinces approve it,” he told a public meeting in Shogran tourist resort after inaugurating work on five road projects on Friday.

Speaker of the provincial assembly Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, adviser to the chief minister on population Ahmad Hussain Shah, MPA Babar Saleem Swati and MNA Salah Mohammad Khan were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said the government was committed to the people’s prosperity through the execution of development projects, so it didn’t curtail development budget despite facing Rs53 billion deficit.

The chief minister, who earlier inaugurated Manoor valley Road, Shogran Road and Ghanool Road with their total cost reaching Rs1.42 billion, said his government following the prime minister’s vision about tourism had earmarked a large sum of money for the development of tourist destinations.

Mahmood launches work on power, road projects

“We are ensuring access of nature lovers to places, which are paradise on the earth but are unexplored,” he said.

Mr Mahmood said the government had earmarked Rs2.4 billion for the promotion of tourist activities in Hazara division and would use the money for the construction of 370km roads.

“We have been establishing more and more tourism zones in the province to attract tourists from within the country and abroad,” said Mr Khan.

The chief minister said the BRT, Malam Jabba Sky Resort, Billion Tree and Swat Motorway projects were the ruling PTI’s flagship projects.

He said all developmental schemes executed or being executed in the province were free from corruption and malpractices.

“We welcome probe into these mega schemes by any agency,” he said.

The chief minister said all public opinion polls showed that the performance of his government was more satisfactory than their contemporaries.

He later inaugurated five micro-hydropower projects in Kaghan.

provincial energy secretary Mohammad Zubair told participants that the government had begun work on 332 micro-hydropower projects in the province and 300 of them were ready.

“We initiated work on 17 small hydropower projects alone in Mansehra district and 12 of them have been completed ensuring electric supply not only to households but also to commercial entities and schools,” he said.

The chief minister also visited the residence of his adviser on population Ahmad Hussain Shah and offered Fateha for his elder brother Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who had passed away earlier this year.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2020