Swat Motorway, BRT, Health Insurance, BTAP Hallmark Of Democratic PTT Govt; Benefiting Millions

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Sep, 2021 ) :After achieving landslide victory for the second consecutive term in Khyber Pakthunkhwa in 2018, the elected government of Pakistan Tahrik e Insaf (PTI) has accelerated work on public welfare agenda by completing mega projects that brought significant positive changes in people's lives.

Emerged as first political party reelected for second consecutive term after winning the 2018 general elections, PTI's impressive performance in diversified sectors including maintaining good governance, solid measures against corruption, supremacy of merit, reforms for revamping of health and education sectors, bolstering road connectivity and revolutionizing transport has highly impressed people of KP and voted it to power again.

Mohibullah Khan, Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock told APP on Tuesday that only democratic government of PTI has the ability and leaderships that completed mega projects such as Swat Motorway, Rapid Bus Transport (BRT), Ehsas scholarship stipends, free health insurance and billions trees projects that brought positive revolution in people's lives.

The party that came into power in the name of change had successfully completed the province's first Swat Motorway, which are benefiting millions of people of Malakand, Dir, Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Mardan, Bajaur and adjoining districts besides promoting tourism and giving enormous boost to the national economy.

"Swat Motorway would serve as trade corridor among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asians States (CARs) after completion of Khyber Pass Trade Corridor (KPTC) and DI Khan Motorway." ECNEC has recently approved Dir-Chakdara and DI Khan-Peshawar Motorways that would bolster connectivity between KP and Afghanistan for trade and investment.

PTI Govt under its larger communication development programme, has constructed 81 kilometers fenced Swat Motorway Phase-I started from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange Swabi (Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway) to Chakdara on which 150,000 to two lac vehicles are passing regularly. It has reduced distance between Peshawar and Swat about two hours against four hours earlier.

Keeping in view of its enormous benefits, KP Government has decided to extend Swat Motorway (Phase-II) from Chakdara to Madian Swat. Initially Swat Motorway (Phase-II) amounting to Rs57 billion including Rs 20 billion land cost would be of four lane and later would be extended to six lanes having 120 kilometers per hours speed, nine interchanges, eight bridges on river Swat and 50 to 55 meters right to way. The groundbreaking of Phase-II of Swat Motorway would be soon performed.

On environment sector, first phase of Billion trees afforestation project (BTAP) had been completed by democratic Government of PTI under which over a record 1.208 billion saplings were planted in Khyber Pakthunkhwa during 2014-17, said Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Senior Planning Officer 10 BTAP while talking to APP.

He said over 10 new forests including Ghari Chandan bigger than Changa Manga raised under billion trees project were serving as breeding ground for wildlife and increased frequency of migratory birds including cranes, houbara, doves and falcons in the province.

He said big wild honeycombs could be seen at Ghari Chandan, Azakhel forests Peshawar and others forests, producing substantial quantity of quality honey for consumers and exporters of Pakistan.

"Beekeepers' business have started flourishing in KP due to increased bees flora plants owing to raising of new forests and enhanced trees cover courtesy to BTAP's," said Sherzaman Khan, Senior Vice President, KP Beekeepers Association while talking to APP on Tuesday.

"In the past, most of KP beekeepers traveled Azad Kashmir and Punjab due to lack of bees-flora plants in our province but the situation was totally different today with abundance of bees' flora plants because of whopping BTAP's plantations." He said production of Beera and Palosa's honey mostly preferred in Gulf and CARs had been increased, which are making positive impact on economy of beekeepers and bolstering honey's exports.

Keeping in view of enormous benefits of BTAP, the Prime Minister Imran Khan had extended BTAP to the entire country where10 billion saplings including additional one billion trees would be planted in KP by 2023.

Ibrahim Khan said monsoon plantation under 10 BTAP is successfully underway in KP where over 394 million saplings of different species have been planted till June 30 last.

Before PTI Government, traffic jams and poor transport facilities was almost a routine matter in Peshawar, which made negative impact on lives of hundreds of thousands of Peshawarites. The elected Government of PTI has accepted transport problem as challenge and has launched gigantic Bus Rapid Project (BRT) that brought positive revolution in transport sector in Peshawar, benefiting hundreds of thousands of people.

BRT is providing state-of-the-art transport facilities to millions of passengers and the government employees including residents on daily basis. Trans Peshawar officials told APP that over 174,244 passengers were being benefited on a daily basis from BRT facilities and their rush increased during hot seasons.

"BRT is a great gift of PTI Government for people of KP. The rush of passengers were increased manifolds in summer, enjoying its AC's and signal free service," said Haseeb Khan, an employee of public sector department while talking to APP.

PTI's health Insurance program under Sehat Insaf Cards has provided free treatment to hundreds of thousands of poor people in the province where each beneficiary can get free treatment up to Rs one million.

"Similarly in livestock sector, PM's backyard poultry program has started delivering in KP where 700,000 poultry birds including five hens and one cock out mandatory target of one million have been distributed among poor people and women," said Dr Aftab Ahmed, Incharge of the project while talking to APP. He said the remaining three lac would be distributed by end of this year.

Work on PM's Save the Calf of Buffaloes and Calves Fattening Project was successfully underway in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where milk and meat production increased manifolds.