Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has directed that the preparatory process for the construction of the Swat Expressway be sped up.
He issued these directives while presiding over a high-level meeting convened to discuss the preparatory focus for the proposed project. Those who attended the meeting included Advisor to CM, Akbar Ayub, ACS Chief Secretary, PHE MD, and others.
The chief minister was briefed that the project would be executed through public private partnership while a tender had already been floated to invite firms for its construction. Khattak was informed that a number of firms had showed interest in the project, while the process of evaluation to select a suitable firm for the task was in progress. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, while issuing directives to speed up the process to begin work earlier, approved the establishment of a Special Project Directorate to make implementation smooth and effective. Similarly, he also approved financial consultants to devise a mechanism for public private partnership for implementation and running the project.
It is recalled that the 81km long Swat Express Way will connect the motorway from Karnal Shel Khan Interchange to Chakdara to provide easy road access to the Malakand Division. The Bank of Khyber will provide financial support for the project, while a private firm will design, implement and maintain the project. The government will be responsible for 40 per cent of the cost, while 60 per cent of the cost will be borne by the private firm.
Earlier, Khattak chaired a meeting about developmental activities in the Peshawar district at the Chief Minister Secretariat. The meeting was attended by District Nazim Peshawar, MPAs hailing from district Peshawar, ACS and high up of the various nation-building departments.
