PESHAWAR, Jan 9: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Thursday visited Tirah of the Bara Sub-division in Khyber agency and inaugurated a micro-hydel power unit in Mastak, Sultan Khel.

The unit sanctioned under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) has a capacity to generate up to 20kv power for the local domestic consumption.

He also inaugurated a Rs3.6 million jeepable suspension bridge over the Bara river at Saddaq Mathra. The bridge is scheduled to open for general traffic by March 1.

The 17-foot high and 220-foot long bridge, which was also completed under the KPP in a year, will benefit the 20,000 Akakhel tribesmen.

Later, the governor performed earth breaking of the 22km-long Mathra-Mastak-Tarkho Kass road, which will cost around Rs39.96 million out of the President’s Special Development Package.

The governor was told that the road would connect Tirah and Mathra Akakhel area with lower Bara and Peshawar. It will also provide a straight and shortest route between Peshawar and Tirah through Bara, which will ultimately be linked to Sadda in Kurram Agency and Rajgal area.

He also opened the newly-constructed building of a primary school in Mastak Akakhel and approved two more rooms for the school. On the occasion, he mixed up with students, asked questions about their studies and distributed books, other schooling items and sweets among them.

The NWFP governor also visited a nearby community health centre, opened in the area under the KPP, and formally inaugurated the first-ever healthcare facility in the area.