CM KP inaugurates long-awaited Ring Road missing link in Peshawar

PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Friday inaugurated Package One of the Northern Section (Missing Link) of the Peshawar Ring Road, connecting Warsak Road with Nasir Bagh Road.
The ceremony was attended by Provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi, Special Assistant Shafi Jan, lawmakers and officials of the local government and Peshawar Development Authority.
Officials briefed the chief minister that the 2.1-kilometre-long, three-lane dual carriageway had been completed at a cost of Rs2 billion under Phase One, while work on other packages was in progress. The total cost of Phase One of the northern section stands at Rs9.6bn, while tenders for Phases Two and Three have also been issued.
Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister said the project would help ease traffic congestion in the provincial capital and improve urban mobility. He added that the missing link would provide better connectivity and facilitate smoother flow of traffic.
Referring to the Peshawar Revitalisation Project, Mr Afridi said it was a comprehensive development package worth Rs200bn, of which schemes amounting to Rs171bn had already been approved. He said the government had earlier delivered the Bus Rapid Transit system and was now pursuing broader urban development initiatives.
He said the capital city’s development would reflect positively on the entire province, adding that the feasibility study of the proposed Outer Ring Road would also be completed soon.
Responding to criticism of the revitalisation project, the chief minister said objections raised at its launch were unfounded and invited critics to present evidence of corruption, assuring that action would be taken if any wrongdoing was proven.
Mr Afridi said KP was being treated unfairly in the National Finance Commission award and that the population of merged districts was not being fully accounted for. He said the province’s share could increase from 14.6pc to 19pc if the formula was revised.
He also raised concerns over resource distribution, claiming that the province was not receiving its due share despite contributing significantly in terms of natural resources, including gas and electricity.