MANSEHRA: The chairman of the District Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) of Kolai-Palas, Sardar Mohammad Riaz, on Friday said steps were being taken to explore the tourism potential of the district to alleviate poverty and create employment opportunities.
“If the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is sincere about addressing poverty, unemployment, and educational challenges, it should declare this remote and backward district a tourism-friendly destination and develop roads and other infrastructure,” MPA Sardar Mohammad Riaz, told reporters.
He said that in a recent meeting attended by heads of almost all devolved departments, the DDAC decided to inform Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and his Advisor on Tourism and Culture Zahid Chanzeb about the district’s substantial tourism potential.
“Our literacy rate is much lower than that of neighbouring districts in the province, and people here still lack adequate health and other essential facilities,” Riaz stated.
He added that although the provincial government has been taking significant steps to reduce poverty and improve health and education services, real progress could only be made if the people were empowered through education, improved roads, and other infrastructural developments.