ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Communications, Arbab Alamgir Khalil has said that work on the Peshawar-Torkham road will be started in December this year and be completed within two years.
Talking to a private news channel, he said Peshawar-Torkham road would not only provide access to Afghanistan and to Central Asian Republics but also promote trade and economic activities in the region.
He said that this road of international standards would be completed at a cost of seven point five billion rupees with the financial assistance of United States.
Minister said that the PPP-government had taken proactive steps for the development of the country as a whole, particularly in the northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including district Chitral. “We want to remove the sense of deprivation among the underprivileged areas of the country”, he maintained.
To a question, Dr Arbab said that the Lowari Tunnel project would also be completed at a cost of Rs 18 billion within the stipulated period of three years, adding that the construction work was being carried with full swing on the mega-development project.
Dr Alamgir said that after completion of the mega Lowari Tunnel scheme it would usher a new era of development in multi-dimensional areas, and fields, including trade, tourism, industry and agriculture in the region.
The Federal Minister said that political forces had raised negative propaganda against the mega-scheme to gain political mileage, saying that the project would be completed in due course of time, as it was initiated by the PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.