Peshawar – A mega development plan under KP City Improvement Project (KPCIP) has been approved with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank with cost of $9.5 million (over Rs1.65 billion) to ensure eco-friendly healthy living facilities including drinking water, sewerage, sanitation and modern urban infrastructure in major cities to cater civic needs of the growing urban population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Provincial Minister for Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) Faisal Amin Gandapur has asked for prompt execution and early completion of the crucial mega project of urban development. Project Director Wasif Shinwari gave a detailed briefing to the provincial minister in this regard and apprised him of the progress made so far on the project. He said that Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide $7.00 million soft loan for the purpose against the provincial government’s allocation of $500,000 while $2.00 million would be provided through foreign grant.
Faisal Amin Gandapur expressed satisfaction over the project saying that it would greatly help in all times availability of potable drinking water and sanitation facilities to the dwellers of big cities like Peshawar, Swat, Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan, Kohat and Bannu where ground water table was dropping alarmingly with passage of time. He directed for hiring experts and staff strictly on merit basis on crash grounds for its immediate launching as well as ensuring its timely and quality completion.
He directed to ensure all civic and infrastructure facilities on scientific lines as well as focus on maximum tree plantation and other eco-friendly measures throughout the province, as it would contribute in enhancing the chances of rainfall and weather improvement.
Similarly, he asked for installation of treatment plants for tons of the cities’ garbage, trending the eco-friendly option of wastes to energy rather than seeking dumping grounds around the cities that was usually annoying the locals due to its filth and pollution.
The minister cautioned that he would himself monitor the progress on the project and would inspect the scheme and its impacts on public throughout the province. He expressed the confidence that sincere efforts would be made to make KPCIP an effective tool for beautification of the cities and making it nature-friendly and attractive even with tourism point of view.
