Saturday, July 17, 2010
Our correspondent

ABBOTTABAD The federal government has released Rs700 million for the acquisition of land for the 110-kilometre for Burhan to Mansehra expressway, disclosed Federal Minister for Communication Arbab Alamgir here during a briefing to the members of parliament from Hazara division.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Khan, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati, Minister Namroz Khan, MNAs and MPAs from Hazara division, commissioner for Hazara, Abbottabad district coordination officer, project director of National Highway Authority and other government functionaries were present on the occasion.

Arbab Alamgir said the four-lane expressway, with the estimated cost of Rs28 billion, would be completed in two phases and land acquisition process from Burhan to Havelian had been completed.

The minister said the road would go a long way towards boosting trade relations with China and the Central Asian states. “The expressway will also reduce the present load on the Grand Trunk Road on which more than 20,000 vehicles were plying against the total capacity of 6,000 vehicles per day,” he added.

He said the federal government had already launched a number of mega projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Rs17 billion Lowari Tunnel, Nowshera-Chakdarra and Chitral road and Peshawar Northern Bypass.