F.P. Report
Peshawar: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed to frame tourism related by-laws for the expeditious boost of tourism in Malakand, Hazara and other scenic spots including the newly merged districts. He further directed to discourage illegal construction Kumrat and other tourism destinations. All constructions should be under the Budding cods, he added.
He was presiding over the 3rd meeting on Task Force of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism at Chief Minister Secretariat, Peshawar. Senior Minister for Sports Atif Khan, Ministers for C&W Akbar Ayub Khan, Environment Ishtiaq Urmar and Law Sultan Mohammad Khan, Advisor to Chief Minister for Tribal Districts Ajmal Wazir, Chief Secretary Salim Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Shehzad Bangash, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mohammad Israr Khan and Secretaries of other relevant Departments attended the meeting.
The meeting agreed to the creation of tourism police that should be either a unit or a separate formation involving the youth to work as volunteers replicating the billion tree tsunami model and boy scouts model normally engaged in the facilitation of Hujjaj in the Haj season. The Chief Minister was informed about the transfer of Kabal Golf course Swat, Panthom Guli Bagh Swat and Fort Bala Hisaar Peshawar and he directed for the transfer of the former two places to Tourism Department and continue negotiating the transfer of the Fort Bala Hisaar Peshawar. He also directed for the identification of different tourists spots in the newly merged districts.
He was informed about the rail service to be restarted in different places that included Mardan to dargai which would be restarted after twenty years. The Chief Minster directed for the rehabilitation of rail track from Peshawar to Torkham. He also directed for the accelerated work on Peshawar circular railway track and an alternate road from Chamkani to Karkhano. He agreed to the creation of Rescue 1122 and health care facilities in the tourist spots throughout the province.
The Chief Minister directed to study the best international model for the tourism policing. The tourism department police home, local government and other stack holder should sit together to evolve a mechanism for the tourism authority and policing, he added. He said that the tourism police would have to perform certain functions. The meeting agreed to develop the sites of small dams on tourism lines in order to attract the tourists and make the best use of these spots.
The Chief Minister directed to ensure that before coming to the policy making decision at the highest forum, the relevant department should undertake brains storming sessions and preliminary meetings in order to ensure informed and refined decisions for the benefit of the province.
The meeting suggested taking the federal government on board in order to ease out NOC for the dignities and tourists making the whole registration process easier. The meeting was further informed about two dozen roads to be rehabilitated and reconstructed in the tourism potential areas.
The Chief Minister agreed to the funding of these roads that would open these areas to tourism and commercial activities and at the end of the day, the provincial economy could be boosted and the local benefited from these activities.
However, he directed for early completion of land acquisition after the identification of tourist spots, the area under forest and its preservation and the determination of the agriculture land. The overall by-laws to be administered by the tourism authority would encourage tourism. The Chief Minister directed tourism and forest departments to sit together and finalize the notification and de-notification of areas which could formally cleared by the Provincial Cabinet.
The Chief Minister said that our activities should cover certain dimensions that included the forest cover, the climate change and the resource generation.
The notification of a certain areas to be promoted on tourism lines would certainly involve some development activities and therefore this should be taken on case to case basis, he added.
The Chief Minister directed to replicate the international model for environmental friendly tourism. The legal dimensions of all futuristic activities for the boost of tourism making it an industry should be taken care of. The tourism authority would also undertake certain civic functions within the identified tourism spots.
The meeting also agreed to the inclusion of three commissioners in the task force for the boost of tourism in the whole of the province after the merger of Erstwhile FATA.
