Various posts for Culture & Tourism Authority approved

PESHAWAR: The first meeting of the Board of Directors (BoDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) on Tuesday approved the creation of one each post of director-general and director, three posts of general managers and other necessary slots for the entity. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the meeting, said an official handout. The BoDs decided that professionals would be hired against these slots from private sectors through a competitive process for a specific period extendable subject to satisfactory performance of the incumbents.

The meeting also approved organogram, the official logo and budgetary allocation for the operational expenditure of KPCTA in addition to the procurement of vehicles and other equipment for the authority. Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir, administrative secretaries of Tourism, Local Government, Finance, Environment and Communication & Works departments, Member Provincial Assembly Ayesha Bano and private sector members of the BoDs including Shumaila Tabassam, Rabia Amin and Syed Salman Sadaat attended the meeting.

The meeting was briefed in details about short-term and long-term plans of the authority for the promotion of cultural and tourism activities in the province. The meeting was informed that the draft of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Plan had been finalised, which would be notified shortly. It was told that draft rules for the establishment of the proposed Kalam Development Authority on the analogy of Kaghan Development Authority had also been prepared and would soon be tabled in the provincial cabinet for formal approval. The chief minister directed the relevant authorities to complete recruitment on the administrative positions approved for KPCTA in the shortest possible time. He also directed that transparency and merit in the recruitment process should be ensured in all respects.

The chief minister said that rules prepared for the establishment of the proposed Kalam Development Authority be presented to the cabinet for formal approval so that it could be realised and resultantly maximum tourists could be attracted to the area in the upcoming season.