Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to build Dir and Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) motorways under public-private partnership model, news sources reported on June 29. The decision was made to cut the project costs while improving connectivity across the province.
According to the specifics, the project will be developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis for a maximum period of 25 years. In this regard, a post-budget white paper indicated that the Dir Motorway would cost PKR 36 billion with a length of 24.4 kilometers, while the D.I. Khan Motorway will cost PKR 260 billion with a length of 360 kilometers.
It was also reported that the government would adopt the same model used for the construction of 82-kilometer long Swat Motorway Phase-I, which cost PKR 34.165 billion with a concession period of 25 years. Reportedly, the provincial government has already awarded a PKR 36.404 billion contract for Swat Motorway Phase 2. The project will connect Chakdara with Fatehpur. It is being built on the same 3P-BOT model as Swat Motorway Phase-I.
It was also reported that the government of KP is planning to develop tourist spots at Hund (Swabi), Ghanool (Mansehra), Madaklasht (Chitral), Mankial (Swat), and Thandiani (Abbottabad).
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
