Govt providing conducive environment to investors: CM Mahmood Khan

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Saturday that the government was committed to providing conducive environment to investors in the province.

An official handout said that he was chairing a meeting of the public private partnership committee about approval of revised concession agreement for Rashakai Special Economic Zone.

The meeting was told that the concession and development agreements of Rashakai Special Economic Zone have been closed and the multi-million dollar project is expected to be inaugurated soon.

It will mark the commencement of rapid and extensive industrialisation programme of the provincial government in the province.

The chief minister said that multiple initiatives had been undertaken including strengthening of communication networks in the province and provision of cheap electricity to industrial consumers through wheeling of electricity.

He stated the government was focusing on revenue generation by exploiting the strategic location, natural resources and business-friendly environment of the province.

The Rashakai Special Economic Zone would play an important role in the rapid investment and industrialisation, he added.

Mahmood Khan said this project was the top most priority of both the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and China under the CPEC framework.

“This project not only will promote industrialization but will also create tremendous employment opportunities for the province,” he added.

As per details of the project, the economic zone will be established over an area of 1000 acres for which the provision of electricity by the federal government will be provided in three phases.

The Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) has approved the PC-1 for provision of electricity. It will cost Rs1,825.79 million under which provision of 210 megawatts electricity will be ensured in three phases.

About 10 megawatt of electricity will be provided by 29 Feb, 70 megawatts by December of the ongoing year whereas the remaining 80 MW will be provided by Dec 2021.

As for the provision of gas, the PC-1 amounting to Rs1,203 million has also been approved during the DDWP meeting held last month whereas work has already been initiated on phase 1 regarding the establishment of access roads i.e from Wali Interchange (on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway) to zero point of the economic zone.

DRCs settled 6,340 cases last year

The dispute resolution councils (DRCs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa settled 6340 cases during the last one year.

At a meeting, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi was told that 945 cases were decided in the provincial capital alone. The IGP was told that a total of 8374 cases were filed in the DRCs in 2019 out of which 6340 were decided while 606 were under process and 1428 sent for legal action. In Peshawar, 945 cases were decided during the last one year while 415 are under process and 55 were sent for legal action.

The IGP was told that during the last six years, the 42 DRCs in the province received 34236 cases out of which 27466 were decided and rest were sent for legal action. The first DRC was set up in Gulbahar locality in the provincial capital in 2014. Capital City Police Officer Mohammad Ali Gandapur told the IGP about the measures being taken for setting up DRCs in Khyber district and rural areas of Peshawar.

The meeting informed the police chief that more DRCs were being set up in the merged districts. The IGP appreciated the work of the DRCs across the province.

Police bust gang involved in robbery

Capital city police have busted a gang involved in robberies and killing people upon resistance, officials said on Saturday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) City Mohammad Shoaib told a press conference that a flour dealer Ayaz was killed during a violent robbery on Phandu Road in November after snatching Rs450,000 from him. The official, flanked by DSP Luqman Khan and inspector Wajid Shah, told reporters that three accused involved in the murder and snatching, Ijaz, Zafar and Dilbar, had been arrested by the Phandu police after hectic efforts on ground and by using technology. The official said the police have recovered the weapon and motorbike used in the incident. The SP city said that the police have constituted a special team for the arrest of the four accomplices of the accused held in the case.

There were a number of incidents of violent robberies in the city in recent weeks during which people were killed or wounded. A number of station house officers were removed and new officers posted to improve the law and order situation in the provincial capital.­