LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar Friday said that Murree enjoyed the position of being the prime tourist spot in the country while Kahuta and Kotli Sattian also had a lot of attraction for the tourists because of their serene beauty.
While addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Kohsar University and other development projects at Murree on Friday, the chief minister said that Kotli Sattian was also being developed as a tourist hub to boost tourism and this will also create more job opportunities for the locals.
Usman Buzdar said the PTI government was working to develop the best facilities for the visitors in Murree and adjoining areas. He announced that Rs7.80 billion will be spent on different development schemes to provide better facilities as promotion of tourism is an important agenda of PTI government.
He also said that the foundation stone of Kohsar University and an attached study centre has been laid where tourism and hotel career development management classes will be started. “Along with it, the up-gradation of boys and girls colleges of Kahuta, Kotli Sattian and Kalar Syedan has been laid and Municipal Committee Murree has been given the status of a municipal corporation”, he added.
The CM disclosed that additional deputy commissioners and SP are being posted to improve administrative affairs. “New building by-laws are also being implemented and a ban on new constructions has been lifted,” he stated.
The CM affirmed the emergency of THQ Hospital Kahuta will be upgraded along with the up-gradation of Samli Sanatorium. A dialysis unit and trauma centre will also be established, he continued. A parking plaza is being constructed in Jhika Gali in public-private partnership mode to save visitors from parking difficulties. Meanwhile, he said projects like tourist highways and provision and drainage of water will also be started to resolve such issues.
The CM said the government was giving attention to the provision of facilities in Murree’s peripheral areas to develop them as tourist spots. “Under this policy, a new tourist-spot new Dhar java water supply project will be developed along with a link road from Dhanoi to Narrar (Panj Peer Mountains) to improve the movement of traffic. Similarly, separate tourist highways will also be constructed including Lower Topa Murree and Bostanabad Road,” he explained. Work is being done to actualise the proposal of a new entry and exit route for easing the flow of traffic in the tourist area as entry and exit points of Murree are insufficient to accommodate the flow of traffic, he added.
In the coming days, he said, more development projects will be announced for Rawalpindi, Murree and other areas of the province as a separate district development package was being chalked out for every district. In addition to it, work is in progress to build universities in districts and the mission of serving the masses will be continued under the leadership of PM Imran Khan, concluded the CM.
CM CHAIRS MEETING ABOUT MINES AND MINERALS SECTOR
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a meeting about the development of the mines and minerals sector at his office. Provincial secretary mines and minerals department briefed about the departmental performance and future roadmap.
The chief minister announced to fully exploit the mines and minerals sector to create more jobs and to boost local industry. The mining sector will be given the necessary facilities to grow, he assured. This sector became victim to attention-seeking meretricious politics as tall claims were made in the past but to no avail, he regretted.
The chief minister pointed out the incumbent government gave full attention to modernise the mines and minerals sector and a composite policy has been devised for the lease of mines. The exploitation of the minerals sector is the need of the hour to strengthen the economy and the departmental reforms will develop and modernise this sector, he said.
