Govt wants to develop new tourist resorts in hilly areas: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Wednesday the government wants to develop new tourist resorts in hilly areas for tourism.

“For this purpose, reputed private investors in the field of tourism and hospitality are being attracted on public private partnership (PPP) mode,” said PM Imran while chairing a meeting on the development of new Balakot City as a tourist hub.

وزیراعظم عمران خان نے نیو بالاکوٹ سٹی کو سیاحتی مرکز کے طور پر ترقی دینے کے حوالے سے اجلاس کی صدارت کی۔

حکومت ملک میں سیاحت کے فروغ کے لیے پہاڑی علاقوں میں نئے سیاحتی مقامات تعمیر کر رہی ہے۔ وزیر اعظم pic.twitter.com/RUFRShCR2V

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— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) October 20, 2021

The PM directed the federal and provincial authorities concerned to take all necessary measures to fully facilitate private investors in this regard.

He further directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take over the entire project from ERRA and accomplish it as a tourist resort. He also directed the provincial government to exclude irrigated land from the project in order to ensure food security in the region.

Earlier the Prime Minister was briefed that feasibility study of Rs19.5 billion development project for new Balakot City as a tourist hub on design-build-finance-operate and transfer (DBFOT) mode had been completed by NESPAK and KPMG.

He was informed that 63 per cent residential plots out of the total 6,753 under the proposed project were reserved for allotment to the local affectees, whereas remaining 2,480 residential and 575 commercial plots besides 800 apartments would be auctioned to generate finances for the execution of the project.

The project, when completed will not only ease pressure on existing overloaded tourist destinations but would also earn more than Rs7 billion in revenue.

The meeting was attended by Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, MNA Saleh Swati, KP Population Minister Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah, Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lt Gen Akhtar Nawaz Satti and senior officers concerned.